No Matter What
by shannyfish
Summary: This takes place after "Heir to the Demon". Moira Queen is not to be crossed, especially when it comes to her children. Felicity finds out just how dangerous she is...the hard way.
1. Only The Beginning

"_Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what." ~ Anonymous_

. . .

This was why seatbelts were invented.

And never in her life was she happier that she'd buckled hers properly. It was cutting into her shoulder and waist, but it was well worth it. It was then that she realized that the airbags had also gone off.

Had she been unconscious at some point?

Felicity didn't remember the airbags going off… She groaned as she tried to move. She really did hurt. It wasn't just where the seatbelt was sure to have bruised her. What had happened? It was all a blur…of darkness, car lights, and cold.

She looked around and realized that her car had flipped and she was hanging upside down in her car. Felicity pulled in breath and then slowly let it out. Stay calm, she tried to tell herself. It was late, she'd been on her way to Verdant (and the Foundry) after going home to change and get a quick bite to eat first. Next time, she obviously needed to take Diggle up on his taco dinner offer. She wasn't far from the road, she could hear cars going by, but there really wasn't much light around. Reaching up, she tried to unbuckle her seatbelt. It wouldn't release. She groaned and started to feel her pockets for her cell phone. It wasn't in her jacket pocket anymore.

"Crap," she mumbled.

Diggle and Oliver would wonder where she was, she was certain, but how long would that take? They could locate her using her phone, but she hoped that a somewhat kind person would at least call about there being an accident. She froze when she heard something.

"Hello?" she called out with some hope.

Silence.

Felicity frowned. This was going to be a long night if this was her luck. She tried to feel around for something to free her. She knew that she should have invested in one of those seatbelt cutters…though really, where would it be right now? Most likely hanging out with her cell phone. Fabulous.

Crunch.

She was quiet and waited and then she heard it again. Was she just hallucinating or was someone there? Felicity looked around and then would let out a small yelp from the pain. Her left side hurt the most, likely because that had been the side that her car had been hit on.

"Hello?" she tried again.

"Oh, you're still alive…"

Felicity just stared in both shock and terror. Moira Queen stood there in the darkness that lay beyond her broken car. She looked quite disappointed. She'd been told that there would be repercussions for telling Oliver who Thea's father was. Apparently killing her was on Mrs. Queen's list of ways to make her world right.

"I—I was—Oliver—" she mumbled as she tried to think of what she could really say to that. "Why?" Felicity finally blurted out. She reached down and madly pressed on the seatbelt release button. It stubbornly didn't cooperate.

"Do you really have to ask such a stupid question?" she asked.

This was it.

She knew that Moira Queen had been involved with Malcolm Merlyn and The Undertaking, but this…this was something more. Felicity had always thought that Moira was innocent in the part of knowing that the Queen's Gambit was knowing down, thus killing Robert Queen (and they thought Oliver). She also had never actually thought that Moira would willingly let Walter Steele be involved in it; it did end up ending her marriage with him after all. She had never really thought of her as a cold-blooded killer, not until now.

A gun was raised and Felicity just stared back.

This was it.

This really was the end.

Felicity had thought about death more and more since joining Team Arrow, but in all honesty…this wasn't one of the ways that she'd thought of. Of course she hadn't really thought that Moira Queen would kill her, obviously she hadn't thought about any of that lately.

"Please…" she whispered.

She remembered talking to Oliver at the rally for Moira Queen for Mayer…when she told him about Thea. She remembered how she'd gone on about her family and how she was afraid of losing him. Even though Felicity wasn't close with her mother and obviously her father, she suddenly wished that she had at least a moment to reach out. To tell them that she'd done okay in life. To tell them that her life had had meaning, even if it had just been for a while.

Wasn't that what most people wanted?

For their life to have meaning?

To be remembered?

To be something more than another person?

Felicity felt like she'd done that.

"Don't worry," Moira told her. "Oliver will move on without you… He's got Laurel…Sara…and practically every other woman in the world to make him forget you. It will be easy. Oliver doesn't need much to get him into bed and infatuated… I'll hire another assistant… That might hurry things along…"

"You don't know him," she blurted out.

"You little bitch!" Moira said as she lowered the gun. She approached the car and was suddenly using the butt of it to smack Felicity in the side of the head. "You think you know my son just because you opened your legs for him?! Ha! Plenty of women have done that!"

The world spun. Felicity blinked her eyes and she suddenly started to struggle with keeping her eyes open. The sound of sirens bounced off her mind and the red and blue lights could be seen from where she was.

"Damn it."

She wasn't paying attention to Moira anymore. If she was going to shoot her, then she was going to shoot her. At least the police would find her sooner rather than later… She supposed that that was sort of comforting.

Felicity waited.

Nothing.

A sob rang out from her lips. She hurt and the pounding that had started in her head wasn't helping things. Felicity was barely keeping the darkness back. She didn't want to pass out.

"Oliver," she mumbled.

Her body ached and her head pounded. Her eyes slid closed and she listened. It was all she could do as she slowly slipped towards unconsciousness.

"Quentin! I'm so glad you're here! I found the poor girl in the car… I tried to reach in to get her, but I can't get her out… There's glass everywhere."

"Relax, the fire and rescue are on their way."

She heard them approaching the car. Felicity desperately wanted to open her eyes and yell to Lance. She wanted to tell him that Moira the reason she was there. Instead, a sob escaped her lips.

"Help is here, Ms. Smoak… Hold on."

"We're not going to leave you."

. . .

Felicity had laid there, pretending to be asleep for some time. From her understanding, they really couldn't do much until swelling had gone down. So, they'd stabilized her left arm and her left leg. She didn't know if they were broken or if it was just a precaution since that was the side of the car that was hit. She'd listened to countless conversations that just made her scream.

"Mrs. Queen. I just wanted to let you know that the doctor will be along in about an hour to reassess Ms. Smoak."

"Oh good, thank you so much. I want to make sure that she receives the best care."

"Of course, Mrs. Queen. Is there anything I can get you? Water? Coffee?"

"Coffee would be great, if it's not too much trouble. I didn't want to leave her side."

"Of course it's no trouble… I'll be right back."

"Thank you."

She was far too afraid that Moira would try to finish the job if she knew that she was awake. But why hadn't she already? Was this part of her plan? Of some kind of twisted plan? Or had she just not thought this far ahead? Felicity was sure that the police showing up hadn't been apart of the plan. She remembered Lance's voice, Felicity was sure that he'd hung around the hospital for a while. Maybe he was the reason why Moira was waiting.

The door opened again and Felicity prepared to bite her tongue through another fake exchanged between Moira and the nurse. She figured that Moira had to have told the staff that she was her son's assistant and then lathered on the fake layer that she cared about Felicity and that Oliver would be devastated to lose such a good employee or something.

"The nurse said this was for you."

Oliver's voice almost made her open her eyes. She made herself keep them closed though. She needed to wait. She didn't want to have any discussion with Moira in the room. She didn't need the glaring eyes looking her way. Felicity was fairly sure that Moira already knew that she'd tell Oliver the truth. She always told Oliver the truth.

"Oliver, Lance said he called you, but I didn't know—"

"He called me. I'm here. Now you can go."

"Oliver—"

"Lance also said that Felicity's car crash wasn't an accident."

"No, it looked like someone slammed into her from the side."

"Mom?"

"I didn't do it, Oliver… Why would I do such a thing?"

"You might blame Felicity—"

"Of course, I do! That doesn't mean I'd run her off the road with my car… You can have Quentin come down to the house with you and you can look over all of the vehicles there…"

Silence.

"You still don't believe me?"

"Why were you there, Mom?"

"Thea invited Walter and I down to the club... I was just on my way there. I happened to see that there was an accident and no one else was stopping. You wouldn't believe how many people just drove by, Oliver… What kind of a world are we coming to? No one stops and helps anymore."

Silence.

"You can call Thea and Walter if you don't believe me. I called them on the way here…"

"I will."

"Of course you will. Your love struck assistant digs up dirt on me to give to you and suddenly you'll believe the absolute worst of me… Maybe you should be looking into her past and seeing if she doesn't have skeletons in a closet somewhere."

"This isn't about Felicity's past."

"Maybe it should be."

"I know you don't like her because she told me the truth, but that doesn't make her a bad person. That makes her a good person. She tells the truth. It's nice."

"Truth isn't all the rage that you think it is, Oliver. You wait until there's something out in the world that you wish that you could keep secret. I'm not a perfect person. I've made more mistakes than I can tell you. I've made unpopular decisions, but they were all made for a reason. Maybe one day you'll understand…"

"Thank you for making sure that Felicity received medical care."

"Fine. If this is really how you want things to be between us, Oliver… But know that this is because of her… I lost five years with my son… I just want to be your and Thea's mother. I'll give up running for mayor and anything else if that means that I can be back in your life."

"I told you. We don't have a relationship anymore."

"If only your father could see you now…"

Silence.

"Do you really think he'd be proud?"

Silence.

And Felicity assumed she left because she heard the door again. Oliver let what sounded like frustrated sigh. She waited a moment, listening as he scooted the chair to her bedside and sat down.

"How are you feeling?"

She knew that he knew. Oliver always knew. He could probably hear her breathing and know that it wasn't low enough to be sleeping. Felicity wondered if he understood why she'd been pretending to sleep. If he understood her fear.

"Sore," she whispered as she slowly opened her eyes.

"My mother—"

Felicity stared at him for along moment. The room was dim, but there was still light. She frowned. "You've been crying…" She wondered if he knew how bad he looked. She saw a lot of 'bad' when it came to Oliver, but emotional was not something she often saw, so it concerned her more than normal.

"You're the one lying here in the hospital bed and you're worrying about me?" he asked with a smile.

Her eyes didn't move from him. "I always worry about you."

"I thought I'd lost you…" he whispered and looked right at her. His voice normalized again after a moment. "Diggle couldn't find any cameras along there, but he managed to get a hold of photos taken at the crash site. I guess the digital age helps that."

"My car's totaled…"

"I'm going to buy you a new one with the best safety rating."

She smiled a little. "It was leased."

"We'll sort it out later."

Felicity closed her eyes and wanted to roll onto her side to face him, but her leg and arm were confined. Swelling sucked. She really hoped that nothing was broken. How was she supposed to do any of her jobs if her leg and arm were broken?

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"A car hit me," she said slowly.

"My mother was there."

"I don't think she actually hit me," Felicity told him. It made her a little sad thinking about the end of Oliver's conversation with his mother. As much as she distrusted Moira Queen, she was still his mother. Everyone deserved to have family and Oliver had already lost too much of it. "Her hair was too perfect when I saw her."

"You saw her?"

"I was stuck in the car. Upside down. Strapped in."

"And…she helped you?"

"I'm sure she would have put it that way," Felicity said as she reached up next to where her left eye was. She was sure that it was seriously bruised. She hadn't gotten a hold of a mirror, but she wouldn't be surprised if she even had a black eye from it.

"How—"

"She was going to kill me…and then Lance showed up," Felicity told him. "I blacked out, but I remember her acting like she'd stopped to help me."

"You should—"

"I'm not telling Lance," Felicity replied quickly.

"Felicity—"

"Oliver."

They stared at each other for a long while before either spoke again. As scary as it sometimes was, she always knew that she could tell Oliver the truth. That she could tell him the truth about everything. Maybe he'd get mad for a moment, but he never stayed mad at her because it was always the truth and he always needed to hear it.

"You don't need to lose anyone else," she whispered. "When I told you about Thea… I didn't mean for you to lose your mother…"

"That's not your fault," he told her in the gentlest of tones.

"I don't have a great relationship with my family," Felicity said. "But you were always so happy with yours… I've seen the pictures in your house before the Queen's Gambit… I've seen the ones when you got back… They might be different family pictures, but you all looked so happy…"

"Things were happier before the Undertaking…"

"Thea's going to notice."

"I'm going to try to keep that from happening."

She could hear the determination in his voice. Felicity just didn't know if what was going on was right. "Think of Thea—"

"I am," he snapped and then immediately softened as he closed his eyes. Felicity knew that he didn't mean it. "I'm sorry…"

Felicity's voice was soft and gentle as she spoke. "Thea's lost a lot… She lost her father, she lost you…and got you back, but still felt like you were lost…she lost Walter, she thought she was going to lose her mother… Do you really think she can cope with realizing that the Queen family is broken?"

He stared at her for a long moment. "I don't know what else to do."

"I'm really not defending your mother," Felicity told him. "Not after she held me at gunpoint and smacked me with it…" That sort of just all tumbled out of her mouth and she saw Oliver's reaction.

"Gunpoin—"

"I'm just saying that Thea doesn't deserve to be put through all of that. You're good at keeping secrets. Something you and your mother have in common," she rambled and then stopped and stared at him to see if he was going to take offense. "I'm just saying… Maybe you just need to take a breath when it comes to your family…"

"Blood isn't the only thing that makes family, Felicity."

"I know," she whispered as she stared at him. She knew that. She did. For a long time, she'd thought of Diggle and Oliver as her family. She also thought of Thea like a little sister and Roy even as part of the family even before he became part of Team Arrow. Felicity would often keep an eye on Verdant when she was in the Foundry and just make sure that it seemed like Thea was okay. She'd never told Oliver, though; afraid he might find it slightly odd or creepy. Team Arrow had grown suddenly. Roy had been brought into the fold because it was the only way and Felicity had high hopes that they'd really be able to help him. That wasn't all though, Sara Lance had returned and currently was planning on remaining in Starling City. So, they'd welcomed her. It was still something to get used to. It used to just be the three of them. "You're my family…"

He smiled at her, really smiled at her then. He leaned in and carefully pressed a kiss to her forehead. It wasn't a quick one. His lips stayed there for a long moment. She savored it. Felicity wished that she could save that moment forever, to experience it any other time.

"I told you before, you're not going to lose me," he whispered against her forehead.

. . .

TBC…


	2. Guilt

"Comminuted fracture," the doctor said as he pointed to the x-ray. "She's lucky that she didn't break the arm, she'll just need to wear a brace for a while."

"How bad is that type of fracture?"

"I'll be honest, Mr. Queen, it's not the fastest to recover from. It'll require x-ray and some physical therapy, but she'll be up and walking and back to normal activities. It'll be several weeks, but she's strong and that'll help things."

"I want the best surgeon…the best care."

"Of course, Mr. Queen."

Oliver sighed and looked towards Felicity's sleeping form. She'd not complained during the night of pain and hadn't received painkillers…and then when she'd woken in immense pain they'd ended up sedating her as well as giving her something for the pain. She'd felt the urge to move her limbs that needed to stay stationary, so they really had no choice sedating her.

"My bodyguard will be watching over her, if you'd make sure that the staff is aware of that, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course."

"Do you mind if I stay for a while?"

"Not a problem, but she is sleeping… You look like you could use some rest as well," the doctor told him.

"I will," he lied. "As soon as my bodyguard arrives. He's picking up coffee and breakfast."

"It's past lunchtime."

"It's been a long day," Oliver countered.

"I'll see when the soonest that the surgery can be scheduled for and do a search for what surgeon would be best fitting what Ms. Smoak requires."

"Thank you," he said.

"I'll leave you," the doctor told him before leaving the room.

Oliver simply nodded before moving to the chair, which he'd been sitting in at her bedside since she'd been put into that room. Diggle would be coming, but he really had no intentions on leaving Felicity alone. He didn't care that she didn't want to tell Lance everything that had happened because of his mother…she didn't want her to get into trouble…but Oliver was still worried of what his mother could do to Felicity if she really felt threatened.

No one should ever underestimate Moira Queen.

Sometimes there were things that children should never know about their parents. He knew too many of those things. He'd once thought that his parents lived these perfect lives…how wrong he'd been. He'd kept holding out hope that his mother really was this good person, but time and time again she'd proven him wrong. Was it really that bad of him to want to hold out hope that his family wasn't completely screwed up?

Oliver ran his hands roughly up and down his face. He was exhausted. He didn't know how things were going to be next week, but he knew that things had to change. He'd already taken the first step in changing his relationship with his mother, but he needed to actually move out. He had been sleeping at the Foundry, even though he'd been caught…and both Felicity and Diggle had offered their couches. He'd passed. He didn't really sleep much, so if he was at the Foundry, then he'd train when he wasn't sleeping. He needed to make sure his mother knew that she was to stay away from Felicity though.

"How's she doing?"

"She's going to have to have surgery on her leg," Oliver said as he looked back at Diggle. He took the offered cup of coffee and watched as Diggle dragged over another chair and sat down with his own coffee in hand and bag being juggled. "The doctor says that her arm shouldn't need surgery, just a brace."

"I told you that she's going to be okay, one of us just needs to stay and make sure that we have the nurses are in here on time to keep the pain meds in her system," Diggle told him. "But you still have to go into work… Isabel will use it against you if it's more than just today.'

"Who else is going to sit with her? We can't juggle watching over Felicity, Queen Consolidated, and Foundry matters between the two of us… And there's a really short list of people we can trust right now…"

"You have recruits," Diggle pointed out. "Sara doesn't have to stay in the shadows anymore. You just have to explain how important Felicity is to you and you've got Thea and Roy here…"

"If I even explain that Felicity is my friend, Thea will be planning a wedding while she's in here," Oliver told him with a sigh.

"Come on, Man, Felicity is more than just a friend…"

"Digg—"

"I know, it's too much…too scary for you…but everyone else sees it…"

"No—"

"They really do."

Oliver sighed more and covered his face with his hand. Did everyone really think that he and Felicity— And for a moment, he wondered if it was really that crazy. He knew that people he was close to tended to get hurt one way or another…and he'd saved Felicity so many times… But he'd told Diggle that they could protect her. He still believed that. He had to still believe that. "Did you bring food?"

"Breakfast burritos," Diggle said. "And the paper…I thought you might want to look for a place."

He moved his hand and looked over at Diggle who was holding out his burrito wrapped in a section of newspaper. "Thanks."

"We can figure out a schedule as soon as you've finished eating… Did he say how long she'll be in the hospital?"

"I didn't think to ask… I was just thankful that it wasn't more serious," Oliver admitted. "It probably depends on how quickly they can do the surgery."

"Do you really think your mom was involved in all of this?"

"I have a hard time believing she didn't have anything to do with it," Oliver responded. He unwrapped his burrito and was about to take a bite when his phone vibrated. Today just wasn't going to be his day. He covered the burrito once again and looked at his phone. It was a text.

"Who is it?"

"Lance," Oliver said with confusion obvious in his voice.

"Which one?"

That really was the question right now. It used to be either Quentin or Laurel…now it could be them or Dinah or Sara, now that Sara was alive to the rest of the world and released from the League of Assassins. "Mr. Lance…"

"What does he want from you?"

Normally the only phone he received calls or messages on from Quentin Lance nowadays was the Arrow's phone. "He wants me to help him ease tensions between Laurel and Sara… He thinks I'm the only person who can get through to Laurel."

"I thought you tried that?"

"Sara's been gone for six years…and Laurel has issues about…well the whole world. I guess we can't expect one civil evening to end in peace between all of the Lances…"

"How has Sara's return been going over?"

"You know, Quentin and Dinah act like they're still married… I think Sara sees hope that maybe they'll get back together… Quentin has put his drinking problem behind him, now their only problem is Laurel…"

"You'd think she'd be happy to have her sister back from the dead and her parents possibly getting back together."

"You'd think…"

"What issues are nagging her?"

"What aren't?"

Diggle shook his head. "I swear women hold grudges for so much longer…"

Oliver wasn't going to speak to that…just in case Felicity could hear. The last thing either of them needed was a lecture from her about anything like that… Though, in all honesty, he'd give anything to hear her voice for two minutes right now. He knew that it was better that she was sleeping and that she wasn't in pain, but he was still worried about her…even after hearing everything the doctor said.

"You're still worried, aren't you?"

"I said I'd keep her safe."

"She's alive, Oliver…"

He wasn't hungry all of the sudden. Looking at Diggle as he ate, Oliver wondered if Diggle really understand how he felt. Oliver felt like his world was slowly shrinking around him. He was trying to keep friends in place that he felt like he owed in some way, mainly Laurel… He'd failed Tommy; he wasn't going to fail her.

"You don't need to be focusing on the 'what if's."

"You sound like a therapist."

"I see you're just catching onto that," Diggle told him with a shake of his head.

And Diggle was right. He and Felicity (now Sara and Roy) were the only ones he could really talk about what happened at night. He couldn't tell anyone else his fears because they didn't know that he was the Arrow and they just didn't need to be burdened with them.

"Let's just go with the fact that Felicity is going to be okay," Diggle spoke up after a few minutes of silence. Oliver knew he was right. "And you know that she wouldn't want you beating yourself up or getting so pessimistic about life."

Oliver turned his head to watch her and smiled suddenly. He remembered all of the times that she'd tell him off or be upset at him and make sure he knew it. Diggle was right. Felicity had even told him that he really knew how to take the 'win' out of things. The 'win' in this situation was that Felicity was alive and with surgery (not even major surgery) and some physical therapy, she was going to be up and walking and chasing after him in no time.

"I guess… I was just remembering how short life really is," he whispered as he continued to stare at her.

"Right," Diggle responded slowly. He paused. "So, find yourself a place…figure out everything in your life so you can tell Felicity how you really feel… We both know that's not going to happen until you can have Laurel…and even Sara out of your head… You've already hurt Felicity enough in Russia with Isabel…"

"We're not even—"

"I know, I know, " he said quickly.

Women were still confusing even after spending five years on that island. Some things just never changed. Whenever Oliver thought he had something figured out, it was always more complex…especially when it came to Felicity. He'd always thought it was simply because she was like no other woman he'd worked with…or interacted with on a regular basis…and then he'd started to wonder if it was simply something more… He'd told himself that he wasn't allowed that. That he didn't deserve that happiness. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was his fault, even if his mother had had something to do with the car accident. No matter, he was determined to make it right.

He had to make it right.

For her.

Always for her.

"Do you happen to know what vehicle has been proven the safest?" Oliver finally spoke up.

"I'm taking it that's my homework?"

"I'd appreciate it," Oliver said and turned back to him. He rubbed his face again. He really was exhausted. He really didn't want to go home and leave her side though. He wanted to be there when she woke up. "I don't think I could even focus on a screen right now…"

"What about Lance?"

"I don't know…"

"Look, I know you want to be here when she wakes up, but she's going to understand," Diggle told him. "I can call or text you, but you need to take care of yourself. You look like crap… Like I said, you've still got to be CEO of Queen Consolidated tomorrow…"

Why was it that Diggle had it all together? He knew that Diggle cared about Felicity too… And then he brought himself back to the idea that it was more than just friendship. The guilt crept back again.

"I'll call Sara and Roy to start with… We'll get some schedule worked out… Thea and Roy still have to keep their night jobs at Verdant… But even two hours would be enough relief for Sara or I…"

"I want to be here—"

"But we all have to keep our identities, remember?"

Oliver knew he was right. He just wished that Laurel wasn't being so much of a handful right now. He could see her having mixed feelings, but Laurel seemed one way or the other…and her problem with alcohol and pills were still very much a concern for everyone who cared about her. She wasn't the Laurel he'd come back to after being on Lian Yu and she hadn't been the Laurel he'd left behind when he got onto the Queen's Gambit. He hated to think of people as weak, but that's what she seemed… She had problems and he knew that really the only thing that needed to be done was to get Laurel into some kind of rehab or counseling…

"What if I need my black driver?" Oliver teased.

Diggle grinned back at him. "I'm taking over Felicity's job today, but I'm assisting from her bedside…"

"Good cover."

"Just in case someone asks…plus, I know you can drive yourself… Just pretend it's like when your mother first hired me. She does do some things right."

"Good point."

Oliver smiled at him and nodded. "I guess I should go then?"

He nodded. "I'm going to text you a list of things, though," Diggle told him. "Things that I know Felicity will want once she's awake and feeling herself…unless she wakes up and I can get Roy or Thea here…then I can do it."

"I can do it," Oliver said slowly. He was capable. Oliver sometimes found that people assumed that because he was rich that he was incapable of simple things because his family had people to do that for him. He knew Diggle knew better, that he was only saying it because Oliver was exhausted, but he wanted to do something for Felicity. "Just send me a list…"

"Okay," Diggle responded just as slowly. "What about the Lances?"

"Let me take care of that."

"Do me a favor and get some sleep first…and a shower…"

Oliver looked towards the rather uncomfortable padded couch-looking armchair in the corner. The nurses had told them that it folded out into a bed, but sitting in it as a chair had been rather uncomfortable and neither him nor Diggle could see it being comfortable as a bed. "Maybe I'll sleep here…"

"I think you're avoiding going to the mansion," Diggle said. "I could give you the key to my place…"

"I appreciate it, but I just mainly want to stay as long as I can in case she wakes up," Oliver said. "I'll sleep…and then I'll go and shower, change, and maybe be able to put out some fires with the Lances," he announced. Oliver started to text Lance back on his phone and just hoped that it wouldn't take up much of the day. He wanted to be gone as little as possible. Diggle would need some time to sleep too. Neither one of them slept much, but they still both needed it to keep sharp.

"Good luck then," Diggle said as he motioned to the chair across the room from them.

Getting up from his chair, he held out the wrapped burrito. "Want it?"

"I'll ask one of the nurses if they wouldn't mind putting it in the fridge for us. I'm pretty sure that I just have to mention your name and they'll do whatever I ask…" Diggle told him.

Oliver shook his head. "Good to know you're getting a hang of dropping my name."

Diggle just smiled and reached out and grabbed the paper. "I'll circle some places that might be good too…"

"You've already got a handle on your new position, don't you?"

"Don't worry," Diggle teased. "I won't get too comfortable with it. I know Felicity will want it back."

"She will…"

Oliver moved over to the questionable piece of convertible furniture and started to work on changing it from its current function as an uncomfortable chair to a bed. In all honesty, Oliver had no problem sleeping on the floor, but he and Diggle had discussed how they were fairly sure that the nursing staff would probably freak out if they found him like that. Eventually, he got it into bed form. It hadn't been easy, but he'd eventually figured it out and Diggle had seemed quite amused by it. At least he was providing entertainment.

"I'm sure the nurses would be more than happy to bring you a pillow or a blanket," Diggle teased. He'd been doing that a lot. Diggle made it sound like 'The Bachelor: Hospital Edition'. That was really the last thing he needed.

"No, no," Oliver said quickly. He pulled off his jacket and folded it up into a makeshift pillow. He really didn't need a pillow. It was more for show if a nurse came in. He lay down and tucked the pillow under his head. "I'm good…"

"Just looking out for you."

"I'm sure you are."

Oliver tried to make himself comfortable, but he was fairly certain that the linoleum floors were more comfortable than the thing he was laying on. Hospitals really did need better funding, so that they could have more comfortable furniture for people who were visiting. He tried to push that thought out of his head. He'd make it work. Oliver closed his eyes and tried to focus on something that would help him relax a bit.

Felicity.

He smiled as he thought about her. He thought about all the times she made him smile and just…normal stuff. Felicity made him feel normal…and he swore that she was the one who made sure that he continued to live in the normal world.

Felicity.

. . .

TBC…


	3. Homework

The pain wasn't anything that she couldn't handle…at least not without the help of the painkillers… She remembered what she felt like earlier. This was better. So much better. Felicity opened her eyes slowly and took in her surroundings.

She hated the hospital.

Especially this hospital.

Because she was in the hospital.

Felicity wanted to be anywhere but there right now. She hated needles and pointy things and hospitals were full of them. The fact that she had an IV in her wigged her out even though technically there was no needle inside of her. It still made her feel all woozy thinking about it.

Diggle was there and she smiled. He was concentrating on his phone and Felicity had a feeling that he was thankful for the invention of smart phones. She'd seen Diggle's apartment, art everywhere, but she wasn't sure if he was a reader. If he didn't have his phone, what would he do while she slept?

"Are you keeping watch?" she managed to whisper out.

He looked immediately over to her with the biggest smile on his face. "There's our girl…"

"I'll take that," she told him as she closed her eyes for a moment. She really didn't mind being Oliver and Diggle's 'girl' in that context. They were her 'guys' after all, whether they were aware of that or not.

"How are you feeling?"

"Less like I'm dying…"

"Definitely not dying," Diggle told her as he moved closer to her bedside. "You have to have surgery…and physical therapy…but…you're going to be okay…"

"Did you warn them that I hate pointy things?"

"I think they figured that out," Diggle told her, a smile still in place.

Felicity sighed. "It's not my fault… I hadn't meant—"

"You were in a car accident," Diggle said slowly. "They understand that you're in pain and they realize that you didn't get the pain meds when you should have had them… "

"What were you doing before I interrupted?" she asked as she weakly motioned to his phone with her good hand.

"Homework."

"Oh, you have homework?"

"I'm Oliver's temporary assistant."

"Lucky you," she teased. "Do you want tips?"

"Don't worry, you're getting back the position as soon as you're out of here…maybe sooner… Oliver was supposed to bring by your tablet before his visit with the Lances', but I guess he's going to do it after."

"And my glasses?"

"And your glasses…"

"You didn't tell him to go through my drawers, did you?" she asked and then closed her eyes. So wrong. "You know…for clothes… I meant—"

Diggle chuckled. "Actually, Sara said that she'd go with him so that he didn't completely invade your privacy… We figured that it wouldn't be so bad if another woman went through your clothing."

"I suppose…"

"So, the Lances? Laurel acting up again?"

"So it seems…"

"You know, I feel like I should have sympathy for her…but I can't bring myself to do it," Felicity told him matter of factly. "She blames everyone…doesn't take responsibility, but John…" she stopped and took a breath to try to keep herself from getting too worked up. Oliver had been trying to 'fix' the Lances for a couple of weeks now…ever since Sara came back and was able to be 'alive' again. "She has her family back… She has a family… She doesn't know how lucky she is."

"She doesn't…"

"She needs help."

"And hopefully Oliver can get her to see that."

"We can only hope that's true, but sometimes…as hard as it is…you just have to let people fall…and let them find their way back…"

"And I think that may be the hardest to watch," Diggle told her.

"So," Felicity said a moment later. "Your homework?"

"You need a new car."

"The last one was leased."

"I'm pretty sure that Oliver will cover it."

"I liked my car."

"It's pretty totaled."

"I figured," she replied with a sigh. Felicity really wasn't too thrilled about that. She had really liked her car and even though the back seat had been stained a bit from Oliver's blood, it had memories. It was where Oliver first revealed himself to her as the vigilante. It was her home in between home and work…

"Oliver really wanted me to look up the safest car for you," Diggle confessed. "I think this scared him a little more than he's willing to admit. He actually has slept more here than anywhere else in the last twenty-four hours or so… He didn't even want to leave to shower… I'm surprised he didn't just use the facilities here…"

"I don't need you guys here watching me the whole time," Felicity told him. "It's nice, but not needed…as soon as you give me my tablet and glasses."

Diggle smirked. "Of course, but it's just to be safe…"

She stopped and just stared at him. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Were they really worried about her safety? "You think that Mrs. Queen—"

"I'm not thinking she'd make such a bold move, but Oliver isn't putting anything past her… Someone will be here with you… That's how it's going to be, at least until we can get you out of here."

"And when will that be?"

"Once they can do the surgery."

"Which will be…?"

"We haven't been told yet. They were waiting for swelling to go down," Diggle explained. "Oliver had been the one who talked to the doctor. He was gone by the time I got here…"

"Great…" she mumbled. Not only did she pretty much know nothing about what was happening, but neither did Diggle. In terms of fail, this was pretty epic.

"So…" Diggle said slowly. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"You know what happened."

"Felicity—"

"I got hit when I was heading towards Verdant," Felicity recounted. "They hit the side of my car and not only ran me off the road, but flipped by car… I was locked in by the seat belt—"

"And what about your head?"

Felicity frowned. "Did Oliver tell you?"

"He's worried about you."

"I know."

"I'm worried about you," he told her, putting emphasis on the first part. "You should have reported everything that happened to Lance…"

"I can't do that."

"Felicity, you can't protect Mrs. Queen—"

"I'm not," she whispered.

"Oliver—"

"It's not only Oliver who would be impacted if I pressed charges…especially without evidence," Felicity told him. "Thea too. Queen Consolidated… My job—"

"You work for Oliver—"

"I really don't think that would matter… I'm not going to poke the bear, so to speak…"

"I wish you wouldn't protect her."

"I'm not," Felicity reminded. "I'm protecting Thea…and Oliver…"

"Oliver's a big boy—"

"Thea's been through so much already," Felicity reminded. "The Queens have lost so much family, I won't be the one who takes her away… Oliver's already distanced himself from her…I'm not saying for good reason, but in a way….it's my fault… I didn't want to cause a rift in their family."

"Don't blame yourself—"

"It's hard not to."

"Did you really do something wrong?"

"No."

"Then, don't blame yourself," Diggle told her. "Plus, Oliver has other family…"

"But Thea doesn't…"

Felicity thought that she'd love to reach out and be friends with Thea. She seemed like she was a good kid and with Roy being pulled into the fold, it seemed natural. It wasn't the right time, though. Thea just didn't need to be put through anything else and Felicity wasn't going to be the catalyst to start anything else.

"She doesn't know she has us as family…"

"Not yet, she doesn't," Diggle reminded.

"Not yet."

. . .

He must have thought she was asleep because he had tried to be as quiet as he could. Diggle had fallen asleep and Oliver had quiet released him of his guard watch. Felicity still really didn't think it was necessary. She didn't think that anyone was going to get any sleep at this rate.

"Are you sure that you're going to be alright tonight?"

"I'll be fine. I had a nap. Plus, you know that Sara will watch my back."

"You don't have to do this…"

"We all have our parts to play…"

"I never—"

"You only intended on me playing you that one time, I know… It's okay; we're going to try to stay in anyways… Hopefully it'll be quiet."

"Did you bring everything?"

"Yes."

"Tablet and glasses?"

"I swear it's in here."

"Good, otherwise I think she'd kick you out."

They both laughed lightly and she couldn't help but smile in the dark. There was a small light on, but nothing more than to illuminate them a bit. She watched as Oliver walked him to the door before he shut it.

"You didn't say anything."

"Diggle was asleep… He needed the sleep," she whispered.

He crossed the room and moved the chair until it was right up against her bed. Oliver grabbed the small duffel bag and hauled it over to her. He set it on the bed next to her before moving to the other chair. He'd brought a suit, she figured for tomorrow, and he moved to hang it up somewhere out of the way.

"You have work tomorrow—"

"That's why I came prepared."

"But—"

"You're not going to get rid of me, Felicity," he told her.

"You need rest…and facilities and…this just isn't a conducive place for that…"

"I thought hospitals were all about resting and healing?"

"That's all a big fat lie," Felicity told him. "They poke you and prod you… There are machines that beep and alarms going off… There's a nurse coming in on a regular basis even if you're asleep… They try to make you eat on their schedule… I'd much rather be at home…"

"Soon," he told her.

"Not soon enough."

He smiled and laughed as he settled into the chair. "I brought you things, though," Oliver told her.

"You didn't happen to bring my pillow?"

Oliver looked upset for a moment.

"It's okay," she said quickly. "I know I didn't say anything and—"

"No, it's just…Sara told me I should bring it…" Oliver said. He sighed and shook his head. "I thought it was silly because there are pillows here…"

"It's not the same," Felicity told him with a small smile.

"I promise to get it tomorrow."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise," Felicity told him.

"You make me a list of anything that I didn't bring…and I'll make sure you get it… No matter what it is…"

So, she unzipped the bag and immediately beamed at the reveal of not only her glasses case, but her tablet as well. The two things she'd been waiting for since she woke up. The glasses were immediately out of the case and on her face. Being able to see clearly was really something that she was far too excited about. She flipped the cover back on the tablet and woke the screen. She immediately figured out how to connect to the hospital's wireless and then stopped at the realization that she didn't have something.

"I'm also going to need a new phone."

"I can do that," he said with a smile.

Using the hospital phone just wasn't going to work for her. Plus, it wasn't convenient as far as it came to keeping in touch with all of the members of Team Arrow. That was vital. She signed into her work stuff and frowned a bit. "You have that meeting tomorrow… It's important… With Isabel…"

"I know."

"We didn't prep for it because we should have done that today…and today you didn't go into work," she said slowly and then closed her eyes. Things were important as far as Queen Consolidated's future when it came to Isabel Rochev. "You really need me there tomorrow…"

"So, you'll be there," Oliver told her as he tapped her tablet. "I'm sure we can make it work…"

"We're going over this now… I refuse to let Isabel feel like she wins at anything…" Felicity said firmly. "So, you better be ready to work."

"Whatever you want," Oliver told her.

"After you figure out how to get me something to eat…something better than what they gave me earlier…" Felicity told him. "Liquid diet and crackers are not fun… I ate it all without throwing up… They promised me solids… I have yet to get it."

Oliver just smiled. "I think I can manage that."

"I'm sure that you can charm those nurses into anything," Felicity teased. "Go…use your superpowers…and then come back and be ready to tackle this…"

"Now, I know who's in charge…" he teased back with a grin.

"I was trying to keep you from realizing that. Better to think that everything is your idea."

. . .

TBC…


	4. Skeletons

Oliver: I miss my girl Wednesday.

Felicity: It's girl Friday.

Oliver: I know, but I like you to correct me.

Felicity: I'm sure Digg is doing great.

Oliver: He does get me coffee.

Felicity: I'll text him right away to stop. I can't have you get too used to such service. I need to make sure I can get my job back. He's obviously spoiling you.

He beamed down at his phone. He hated not having Felicity there, but at the same time, he knew that she needed to be in the hospital. They'd just gotten word that she would be going in for surgery the next morning, which meant that she could go home sooner rather than later. It just wasn't the same without her. He honestly didn't know what he would have done if she'd really turned him down or quit Queen Consolidated when he promoted her from IT to Executive Assistant.

"How's she doing?"

"Probably miserable."

"Isn't Sara there?"

"Yes," he replied. "But maybe that wasn't the best idea."

"Oh, you've noticed the slight awkwardness," Diggle said matter of factly, but at the same time like he'd just won points for something. "Ten points to Hufflepuff," he spoke up a moment later.

Oliver just stared at him for a long moment. "Really?"

"Do you even know what the reference is from?"

"I was on an island for five years… I didn't miss everything before that."

"Did you read the books?"

"Well…no…" Oliver said slowly.

Diggle just smirked in response and looked even more amused with him. "The movies?"

"Thea read the books and then ran around pretending to be Hermione," Oliver admitted. "I remember that she'd convince my dad to read it to her sometimes… He'd always pretend to get the spells wrong, so that Thea would have to correct him…"

"I really can't picture Thea reading _Harry Potter_," Diggle admitted.

"She had the wand and the robe and everything," he told him. "She even tried to convince my parents that she needed an owl…"

"Am I interrupting a work related conversation?"

They both turned to look in the direction that Isabel Rochev was standing. Oliver frowned a bit. He was actually enjoying his conversation with Diggle. It was nice thinking back to those times… It reminded him of how much he missed his father and at the same time Oliver knew that their father would have been so proud of the person that Thea was now.

"It wasn't exactly work related," Oliver spoke up. He wondered just what she wanted. They'd already had their meeting. As far as he was concerned, everything had gone perfectly. Felicity had been absolutely amazing, especially considering that she'd been in a hospital bed at the time.

"Then I came in at the perfect time," Isabel said coolly. "I just wanted to make sure that you were still actually working…"

"This isn't high school, Isabel," Oliver replied. "I don't need you supervising my every move… I was gone one day. The meeting was a success. What else do you want?"

"There's a lot that I want," Isabel shot back. She looked over at Diggle as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Some of it would involve us to continue this conversation in private…"

This really was great.

Not only had everything happened in Russia and managed to get Felicity upset, but here she was going in front of Diggle. This was really not what he needed nor what he was expecting as far as the day would progress. For a moment, Oliver pondered becoming a monk. It was only a moment because he was fairly sure that he couldn't actually keep those vows.

"Then I suggest you keep the conversation to what it should be," Oliver countered as he got up from behind his desk and walked towards her. It really was nice when Isabel wasn't in town. Things were so much quieter.

"How is your secretary?"

"Not that you actually care," Oliver responded with a bit of irritation. "She's going to be fine. She's having surgery tomorrow and will be back at her desk soon enough… Once she's home, she'll be assisting me virtually."

"That's not necessary," Isabel told him with a sly smile. "I'm sure we can get you a replacement or a competent temp for the time being… You should allow Ms. Smoak her time to heal…"

"That's very kind of you, but it's still my call…and Ms. Smoak's, of course," Oliver said quickly while trying to remain as calm and diplomatic with Isabel as possible. It wasn't always something easily accomplished, especially when she pushed buttons. It had been clear for some time that Isabel did not have high thoughts of Felicity…and Oliver really didn't appreciate Isabel treating Felicity in such a poor way.

"Of course," Isabel said finally. "But, I would like to see more progress with your paperwork… I like reading reports and you're behind."

"Right," Oliver said slowly. "I'll make sure I finish what's in my inbox before I leave today." He really was trying when it came to Isabel. It really did come down to the fact that as much trouble as she could cause, she was good for Queen Consolidated. The numbers didn't lie.

"Excellent," Isabel said. "I was also hoping that perhaps we could get together over dinner one day this week in order to discuss the future of the company."

"Dinner?"

"I promise you won't even need your bodyguard," Isabel said as she looked towards Diggle for a quick moment. "I think it's time that we had that conversation and I prefer to have such conversations in a more casual environment…"

"There's always the coffee shop," Oliver countered.

"Are you really that worried about having dinner alone with me in public?" Isabel teased. "Are you afraid of what the papers will say in the morning?"

Oliver tilted his head. He honestly hadn't thought about that aspect of it. He was Oliver Queen and his life tended to be in the media whether he liked it or not. "It really doesn't matter to me what's in papers… All that matters is the truth."

"Of course," she said as she tilted her head as her arms fell to her sides. Isabel stepped towards him. It hadn't gone unnoticed that her black dress hugged every curve of her body or the walk that her hips moved when she walked.

"Fine," Oliver said finally.

"Tonight?"

"I have a prior engagement," he replied quickly. Tonight, he was working as the Arrow. He and Roy would be in the Foundry…and possibly Sara, while Diggle stayed with Felicity.

"Tomorrow?"

He really didn't want to say yes, but he knew that he needed to commit to an evening with her. Tomorrow night he was going to stay with Felicity… He looked towards Diggle and he just shrugged. Diggle really wasn't any help. Damn Isabel. Oliver let out a sigh. "That could probably work…"

"Don't so enthused…" Isabel told him as she leaned her head back as she turned on her heel. "I'll make reservations…and text the details to you." She stopped at the door to his office and turned back to him. "Don't you dare even think of being late…or stand me up."

"Wouldn't even think of it," Oliver responded. He clenched his fists as he proceeded back to his chair. He really wasn't too thrilled with his schedule right now. Why did he have to listen to everyone? Why couldn't he just take some mental health days? He wanted to be there for Felicity after her surgery in the morning and now that wasn't going to happen. He was going to be stuck at the office and then he was going to be stuck with Isabel after that.

Life was going to suck starting, well now…

Oliver realized that he'd promised to have his inbox cleared by the end of business day. He was going to have to stay longer than he'd planned…which meant that he wouldn't have time to make it to the hospital to see Felicity before he needed to head to Verdant. He really was frightened of what Roy and Sara might do in the Foundry without him. Roy was still unpredictable and Oliver would rather not go into fist-sized holes in everything…

"You looked happier before Isabel came in—"

"I'm always happier when Isabel isn't around," Oliver countered. He let out a sigh and rubbed his face with both of his hands before looking at his inbox again. "I really wish I didn't have to be CEO…"

"I really wish I didn't have to be your black driver…or your temporary assistant…"

"You're a lousy assistant," Oliver told him.

"Good," Diggle replied with a smile from the couch. He reclined and just stared at Oliver. "Make sure you let Felicity know that I'm following orders."

Oliver immediately smirked. He really didn't mind Diggle's current behavior because really…he didn't need an assistant right now. He didn't have calls or anymore meetings or appointments for the day… And really, it was mainly a formality set forth by those who had built Queen Consolidated. It just happened to be a good cover for Felicity whether she liked it or not.

He looked over at his phone. He wanted to text more with Felicity, but he had to get the work done. He needed to make sure that everything was completed. Felicity and Diggle were both right, he had to maintain his cover as much as they had to. He had to keep things going at Queen Consolidated and he needed to look good doing it.

"Have you talked to your mom?"

"No."

"Has Thea said anything?"

"No."

"She's going to notice."

"I plan on keeping up appearances for her sake," Oliver said quietly as he went through e-mails.

"That's not what Felicity wants—"

"Felicity," he started to say and then couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence. He wanted to say that she didn't have a say in his personal life, in his family life, but the truth was…she did. Felicity was more than a friend, more than his assistant, and more than his partner. He'd thought that he'd lost her…

He couldn't lose her.

Oliver sighed again as he thought about her. He couldn't help, but think about her. In the short amount of time that she'd been a part of his life, he just couldn't think of what his life might have been like if they'd never met. She made him smile…and she made him feel like life was really worth living… But how could he just forgive his mother?

"It's not that easy," Oliver finally spoke up.

"Has she talked to you about her family?" Diggle asked. "I know that the doctors had been asking about family… I think before that they were concerned if she were to need blood donations or possibly if there were problems with organs…"

That had all been when they'd first admitted her, so far it seemed like it was mainly just her leg… She'd been lucky. He'd been lucky. "Briefly… She was vague about her mother…and her father abandoned them when she was younger… That was it. I didn't push for more…"

"We all have skeletons in our closets," Diggle commented.

"Why does my family have to have so many, though?" Oliver asked quite seriously.

"I guess you're just lucky," Diggle teased lightly. "Otherwise you would have never been where you are now… You would have never needed me… You would have never met Felicity… You'd probably have married Laurel…or Sara… Your life would be completely different."

"I wouldn't be a person that you'd recognize if that were true."

"Don't I know that."

"So," he said slowly and then paused. "Maybe you're right… Maybe it's really a blessing in disguise…all of those skeletons…"

. . .

TBC…


	5. Surgery Day

She hated the hospital. She had hoped that the drugs would have knocked her out, but they hadn't. For this one moment, she could deal with the needles, the poking, and the IVs… But alas, the drugs didn't do anything remarkable to her except to keep the pain away. Felicity had already come out of surgery on her leg and she just felt stupid being kept in a bed. She wanted to go home and she wanted to be able to take care of herself…even if it was merely to get up and hobble to the bathroom by herself.

Her poor, poor tablet. It hadn't been touched since before going in for surgery. Diggle had left orders for her tablet to be taken away until the day after her surgery. He had been afraid that she might do something stupid because she was 'drunk' on drugs. That was not the case. Plus, all she wanted to do was to keep occupied. She'd play any game…anything… Solitaire, Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, or even the dreaded Spider Solitaire.

Currently, Sara was on 'watch', which meant that things were rather awkward between them. Felicity actually liked Sara, a lot more than Laurel, though perhaps that was because she'd talked with Sara more. There was also the fact that Sara had never once treated her like hired help or her inferior, even though Sara made Felicity feel inferior. But things were different. Sara was 'home' and out as alive, which meant that she could run things at the Foundry when Oliver couldn't and she could take a shift to protect her.

"You know, it's been two hours already," Sara spoke up.

Felicity rolled her head in Sara's direction. She'd been staring up at the ceiling…for apparently two hours… It really hadn't felt that long; maybe the drugs were affecting her after all. "Huh?"

"I know you're mad about your tablet," Sara told her. "And I know things between us have been…"

"Strained?"

"I was going to say stressed."

"That works too," Felicity told her.

Sara smiled just a little in response. "I didn't tell Oliver I'd join the team in order to push you out or make you feel uncomfortable… You are one of the very few people in this world who knows so much about my past and has not treated me badly because of it. You've always treated me human even when I didn't think I deserved it."

Felicity frowned at her. She remembered when she'd first met Sara Lance; even then she'd felt inferior. She'd also instantly liked Sara better than Laurel, but had thought that perhaps that was merely because she was not as clingy as her sister was with Oliver. "No one deserves to be treated less than human…" she said quietly. "Well, most people… There are some really bad ones that make me rethink that comment…but you're not one of them."

"You're sweet."

"That's me. Felicity Smoak, sweet and smart," she said. Her voice wasn't chipper, but rather sad and slightly annoyed. She was always the smart one who could get the information needed, but she couldn't handle herself in a fight. Sure, Diggle wasn't nearly as good with the computer as she was…but both Diggle and Sara could handle themselves… They were never liabilities in the field. Felicity hated to be a liability.

"You're invaluable, Felicity," Sara told her. "Oliver thinks that…and Digg…" She was quiet for a moment before adding. "And me."

"I'm only good in the field for hacking or bait… Even when I try to do something that I think is simple, I end up being caught by the bad guy and then I may as well be bait…" Felicity told her with irritation.

"Not everyone can be strong at everything."

"But I shouldn't be the weak link."

"Is that what you think?"

"I'm not like all of you…"

"That's a good thing," Sara insisted.

"You're all with it, together, strong, and can handle yourselves… I'm smart, yes, but I'm weak and I get far too emotional…" Felicity said as tears rolled down her face, practically on cue. She really did feel miserable and mostly not because of her leg.

"If you're worried about handling yourself, then we just need to start training you…" Sara told her. She made it sound like it was easy. "Of course, we'll have to wait until after your leg heals…"

Felicity glared down at her leg.

"Unless you're going to learn how to handle a bow."

"Really?"

"You really don't want to have to slap water," Sara said. "That's what Shado made Oliver do when she trained him… It builds endurance or strength or something that doesn't sound real…but apparently it works," she said. "I'll make you a promise, though. Once you're better, I'll help to train you…if that's really what you want. You'll be able to defend yourself if nothing else."

"I'd like that," Felicity said. "If I'm ever cleared…"

"No more car accidents…"

"Really, it wasn't my idea."

"Oliver said he's worried that his mother had something to do with it? He was vague as to the reason."

Felicity just nodded. It was good to know that Oliver didn't tell Sara everything. She sort of liked being one who kept his secrets… Really, though, this was never a secret that she wanted to hold onto… Queen secrets just ended up being far too dangerous…

"People change," Sara said a moment later. "It's just so weird of me to think of Mrs. Queen as one of the bad guys…"

"I just don't think we should trust her."

. . .

"Are you just going to eat the whole time?"

"I'm hungry."

"You didn't used to eat like this."

"I'm probably going through a growth spurt…or something," Roy mumbled in between bites.

"What?"

Felicity just watched them. Who needed TV when she had these two to entertain her? She really didn't understand why Oliver and Diggle thought this was necessary. How was she going to be able to deal with them for two hours?

She hoped that it was only two hours.

"You're going to give yourself a heart attack if you continue like that," Thea continued to nag.

"Just so you two know," Felicity said. "I think you two are adorable together." She noticed that they seemed a little confused. "I mean, I know you really don't know me. It probably doesn't matter what I think… But I know Oliver really loves you, Thea, and I think he's warming up to you, Roy…and I'm rambling…and I'm going to stop…right now."

Roy looked the most disturbed by her rambling.

"Did I mention that it's really not necessary for you both to be here? I mean, Diggle's going to be here in about an hour…"

"An hour and fifteen minutes," Roy said.

"Really, I'm sure you both could be doing something else…"

"I'm good," Roy said before shoving more food in his mouth. Thea simply responded by rolling her eyes.

Great.

Felicity frowned slightly and went back to staring up at the ceiling. This was going to be a long hour and fifteen minutes if she couldn't convince the to leave. Sara had also made it quite clear to them that Felicity wasn't allowed to have her tablet. She was going to have some serious words with Diggle about that.

. . .

Amazingly enough, she'd been able to convince Thea and Roy that they could really leave…and then she'd called a nurse to retrieve her tablet from where they'd set it. Felicity figured that she was going to find be able to rest and have some peace, well at least until Diggle got there. She just hoped that he'd not argue over her line about how 'you just missed Roy and Thea'.

Oh, how she'd missed her tablet.

Technology and intelligence was her job when it came to Team Arrow. She felt bad not being there to support them…or Oliver at QC. She felt like she was letting them down even though she knew that no one was going to blame her. She just liked to be included and to be useful.

Felicity suddenly was finally feeling relaxed and even happy. She was pondering which game she should play when there was a knock at her door and then the door started to open. This happened all day long, Felicity just figured that it was a nurse checking on her since she thought it was a little early for dinner…if they were going to give her dinner…

Liquid diet was not dinner.

It took her a moment to look up, but as soon as she did she couldn't move. She didn't know really what to do. She slowly extended her hand until the remote that was attached to her bed was in her hand. Her finger moved to hover over the nurse button. In all honesty, she didn't know if a nurse would really help if she started to feel like there was a serious problem.

"Mrs. Queen," she breathed.

Felicity hadn't expected her to even think about stepping foot into the hospital. The only two things that she could think about were either Moira was going to finish the job or Oliver had changed his mind about his relationship with his mother. Felicity really wasn't sure which was the safer bet.

"Ms. Smoak," Moira said with a smile. She set a rather large vase of flowers at Felicity's bedside. Felicity just stared in shock. Were they poisonous? Was this some kind of trick? "I hope you're not allergic to any flowers… I didn't see a note in your Queen Consolidated employee record."

"No," Felicity responded quickly. "They're beautiful. Thank you." Her responses started to slow. "I hadn't expected you to drop by…"

"Because Oliver told me that I wasn't allowed to?"

"And because…well, we both know that you wanted me dead," Felicity added.

"I've been thinking," Moira said. She moved the bedrail down. Felicity's finger was about ready to press the nurse call button. "You've changed my son… I'm not saying that I support everything…or your sleeping with him—"

"We're not—"

"You can deny it all you want, Ms. Smoak," Moira told her quite sternly. "But it's all they talk about at Queen Consolidated."

She opened her mouth to argue again and then closed it. Felicity didn't know if it really could help them any. All she knew was that she needed to be cautious. If Moira got any closer, then Felicity would press the button and scream. Or possible scream as she pressed the button.

"So, I've decided that you and I should talk."

"About what?" Felicity questioned.

"I think it's about time that you and I come to an understanding."

"About Oliver?"

"About Oliver…and my family."

"I don't regret telling him," she barely managed to get out. Felicity was suddenly feeling sick. She glanced at the clock; she shouldn't have sent Thea and Roy away…

"That's only because he doesn't seem to hate you, only me."

"I told him that he's lucky to have family…even if you do lie to him…and plot…if not for the both of you, then for Thea," Felicity said quickly. She wasn't trying to prove that she was on Moira's side or anything; she was just trying to show her point of view.

"So noble of you," Moira said. "Why do you care so much about my family?" she asked, putting the emphasis on the final two words.

Felicity just stared at her for a moment. "I don't think it's wrong to care about people."

"Care? Of course not," Moira practically purred. "But if you're plotting… You are playing a sandbox that you are not ready to be in."

"I'm not plotting."

"Are you sure that you aren't thinking about becoming Mrs. Felicity Queen? I really don't think it has the right ring to it," Moira said. "In all honesty, I never thought Oliver would really stick with Laurel…but I've seen him with Sara since she's been back… Of course there are other women… Powerful and wealthy women…"

"Like Isabel Rochev?" Felicity questioned.

Moira looked irritated. "Like, but not Isabel Rochev. That woman is evil."

Did she just say that?

Felicity wondered if Moira actually listened to herself when she spoke. "Oliver is an adult—"

"You think I'm dangerous because you told my son one of my secrets, Ms. Smoak," Moira said as she leaned towards her. "You should see what I would do to you if you decided to continue to push yourself on Oliver…"

"I'm—"

"It's not appropriate…and if I could get away with killing you…without hurting Oliver, then it would already be done," Moira told her coldly. Her eyes stared at her, through her. "But I am still holding out hope that my son will come to his senses and not divide our family."

"My relationship with Oliver is what it is," Felicity told her. "I honestly don't expect anyone to understand it except Oliver and I… If you're going to kill me, then do it…though I would have appreciated you just getting it over with at when I was still in the car."

Moira just stared at her. "I'm serious."

"So am I," she said.

The door opened and Felicity was hoping that it was a nurse. Anyone. She really would be excited to see anyone. She'd happily watch Roy down another bag of fast food while Thea complained about it at this point. To her surprise, Diggle had arrived thirty minutes early.

"Am I interrupting?" Diggle asked. His eyes were on her and Felicity knew that he was trying to gauge if she was really okay. She really wasn't. He turned his attention to Moira. "Mrs. Queen, I hadn't expected you here."

"I wanted to stop by," Moira told him. "Check on Ms. Smoak… I know how much Oliver relies on her… I had to ensure that she's getting the best care."

"So kind of you."

Felicity could tell that Diggle was trying to save face and keep things calm. Without Oliver there, they really did need to play nice. She had no idea if Moira realized that Oliver told them nearly everything. "Thank you, Mrs. Queen," Felicity spoke up. "And thank you for the flowers…but I should probably rest now…"

"Of course," Moira said. She smiled at them both before showing herself out.

"Are you okay?" Diggle asked as soon as Moira was gone. He approached the bed and immediately lifted and re-secured the bedrail. He then started to check out the colorful bouquet of flowers at her bedside. "Doesn't look dangerous…"

"Give it time," Felicity muttered.

"Where's Roy and Thea?" Diggle asked a moment later.

Felicity bit her lip and looked down. Oliver and Diggle had been right all along. What would or could Moira have done to her? That woman really couldn't be underestimated. "I just…I wanted time alone… I didn't think—" Her voice broke and she squeezed her eyes shut as she gripped her tablet between her hands.

Stupid.

"It's my fault—"

Diggle sighed and she could hear him pull the chair to her beside. Felicity opened her eyes again and watched him settle in next to her. "No… I know this is hard on you… I'm sure you even get sick of Oliver and I being here…"

"Sometimes, but not really… It's more that I feel like you two should be sleeping in actual beds," Felicity rambled. "I don't like feeling like I'm the reason that stuff isn't getting done…"

"Everything will be done in the time it needs to be completed in," Diggle told her. "And don't worry… I gave Oliver a hard time for the rest of the day…"

Felicity smiled at him. "Thank you," she whispered. Tears fell from her eyes and she looked down.

"Hey," he said as he reached out to touch her arm. "Everything's going to be okay…"

"I just—"

"You're going home in the morning as long as everything's okay," Diggle said. "Though you'll have to deal with us invading your place then…"

She really wasn't looking forward to that. Though, she supposed it could be worse. If they were at her place, then Moira couldn't randomly stop by. Roy and Thea would probably just eat and watch TV while she could hide away in her bedroom. Well, maybe it wasn't as bad of a plan as she'd originally thought.

"Does that mean I can work at the Foundry a couple of nights?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"No."

She didn't think so.

"Can we use my place as the Foundry for a while?"

Diggle grinned at her. "I don't think that the Salmon Ladder will fit—"

"Oh, you can try…or just one of those bars…" Felicity told him as she smiled once again. "Preferably someplace I can watch…you know, to motivate my recovery…"

He laughed out loud and she beamed. Diggle was really her favorite babysitter. She loved Oliver, she did. She did… Diggle was just the one who she knew she could say anything in front of and he'd understand and she wouldn't feel embarrassed or ashamed of the words that sometimes blurted out. She was sure that Oliver was used to it by now, but that didn't mean that she wasn't a bit more self-conscious about it.

"Right, of course," he told her. "Let me think about that…"

"I don't think Oliver's realized that he's not in charge yet," she whispered conspiratorially for a moment. She smiled at him. "But I suppose that's best for us."

"They say that ignorance is bliss…"

"That really isn't entirely true," she told him quickly.

"So, what shall we do tonight?"

"Tonight?" she questioned. "Oliver isn't coming?"

"He's got that dinner meeting with Isabel," Diggle reminded.

"Right," Felicity said as she looked back down at the tablet in her hands. No matter how she knew everyone felt about Isabel, she couldn't get it out of her head how beautiful Isabel was…and there was the fact that there'd been that incident in Russia… It always reminded her that she really didn't quite know Oliver the way she thought she did.

"You know, you don't have to wo—"

"I know," she said quickly. "I know," she said a little quieter.

"It's about Queen Consolidated or else he would be here," Diggle told her. "The meeting went well…so, they just sort of needed to touch base… Isabel said that this is just how she does it… She likes it to be casual—"

"Isabel can't be trusted."

"I know."

"You really should be there with Oliver."

"So, I can protect him?"

Felicity nodded. "I feel like Isabel is a realistic threat."

Diggle smirked. "Not sure Oliver would see it the same way."

"That's the problem."

. . .

TBC…


	6. Changing Plans

He couldn't stay away.

Oliver knew that he should be home sleeping, but instead, he'd dropped by. Diggle had heard him or sensed him. He hadn't meant to wake him up. Oliver had brought flowers, but had stopped when he'd noticed the large arrangement that was already there.

"Your mother stopped by," Diggle whispered as he motioned to the flowers.

"My mother…brought Felicity…flowers?" he asked. Had hell frozen over? Was he missing something? Had her crossed into the looking glass? Oliver was floored to say the least.

"Yeah," Diggle said. "I think I arrived at the perfect time… I have no idea if Felicity would still be breathing if I hadn't come in when I did."

"No one else was here?"

"It's a long story and it's done now… Felicity's just feeling a little overwhelmed by all the 'together time' we've all been having," Diggle said. "They're going to release her in the morning… You should take those flowers home for her…"

"I was hoping to stay the night," Oliver told him.

"You still have QC in the morning," Diggle pointed out. "By the way, Felicity was worried about you while you were out with Isabel tonight… For all we knew, you could have ended up in a ditch…or in her bed…"

Oliver just stared at him. He knew that both he and Felicity were good at here and there giving him subtle crap about Isabel. Okay, maybe right now he wasn't being too subtle, but he felt like he deserved it. "Next time, I'll text."

"How did it go?"

"Sounds like Isabel will be away a little more… So, at least it won't be so tense."

"That doesn't mean that there's going to be slacking off," Diggle reminded.

"I know," he said all too sadly. "It's just not the same—"

"Are you complaining about my assisting?" Diggle teased.

Oliver smiled just a little. "Of course not. It's just…"

"I know what you mean," Diggle said. They both looked in Felicity's direction. "Let's just hope that she does fine tomorrow and they release her…and that she'll do well with physical therapy…"

"She'll have a whole team to help her get back to how it was," Oliver said.

He looked towards the flowers again. That worried him. His mother had gotten so close to Felicity again. He didn't know how to approach this. He was already planning on moving out, but would she take him seriously if he approached her about this again? He didn't think so. Oliver had thought about the Arrow visiting her, but he didn't know if that would only make the target bigger on Felicity. He kept coming back to the fact that they just needed to keep close.

"I don't know what to do, John," Oliver said quietly and quite seriously. "I want to protect her. I want to continue to hold only a public relationship with my mom because of—" He stopped and tried to keep himself composed. "Felicity's made it clear that she doesn't want me to add what's happened to her because of my mother to the reasons why I shouldn't have a relationship with her."

"Felicity's just saying what she thinks is going to be the best."

"What do you think?"

"I think that trying to mend fences doesn't mean that you have to forget…or be blind," Diggle said. "We know to be cautious as far as your mother is concerned. So, really…I think the relationship part is up to you."

"I just—" He paused and really thought about what Diggle said and what Felicity had said. "I'm having a hard time letting go of not being able to trust her."

"So, think about it," Diggle said. "I'm not saying you have to decide tonight or even by tomorrow… You have other things to worry about. You have being a CEO in the morning and your assistant will not be there in any form and then you have Arrow business in the evening… Plus, we have Felicity to be thinking about. I think that that's enough for a couple of days. Just…take your time really processing it."

Diggle was right. He'd made one decision, so he didn't need to make another right away. The dust really needed to settle and they needed to settle on what was going to happen tomorrow. Oliver would really have time to concentrate on things after that.

"I really wish I could have spent the night here with Felicity rather than with Isabel," Oliver told him truthfully.

"I thought it went well?"

"Isabel is definitely all business when she wants to be," Oliver told him. "I might have nightmares about numbers…"

"At least Queen Consolidated is doing well."

"Let's just hope that we don't have to be linked to Stellmoor International forever," he commented.

"You must some amazing commentary on reality TV," Diggle told him.

"'Survivor'?"

"'Dance Moms'."

Oliver cringed. "Really?"

"I'll take 'Dance Moms' over 'Toddlers in Tiaras' any day," Diggle told him truthfully. "Carly used to watch it all the time. I never understood her obsession with it. But at least the girls don't look like they're plastic…and they do something that might actually get them a job later in life."

"You're still not selling it."

"We talked about you, too."

"Of course you did," Oliver said with a smile.

"I'm not telling."

"Of course you're not."

"And we had a rather competitive game of Scrabble. Felicity won."

That was his girl.

"At first I thought I was going to have to let her, to keep her self esteem up," Diggle said. "But some of those words I had to look up to see if they were really real words."

"Did she know the definitions to them all?"

Diggle nodded. "And she was willing to use them in a sentence."

That was his girl.

Oliver wished it had been him there with her. He didn't care if he had to watch 'Dance Moms' or have his ass kicked in Scrabble. It would have been worth it. "Maybe we should get some games for Felicity's apartment."

"And maybe Netflix, if she doesn't already have it."

Oliver nodded. "Good idea."

"Apparently all Roy did was eat… I'm thinking it's the Mirakuru."

"Probably."

"This will be a good excuse to keep a closer eye on him."

Oliver nodded. "You're right." Roy hadn't slipped his thought; he just wasn't his main worry right now. He knew that he had Roy far more focused than he had been before. That meant that Roy could control himself a little better. It helped at the very least.

"Go home, Oliver."

Oliver sighed. He looked at the flowers. "As soon as I drop these off."

"I'll text you in the morning."

"Tell Felicity I stopped by?"

"I will."

Oliver moved to her Felicity's bedside. He stared at her for a moment, his free hand brushing hair away from her face. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you soon," he whispered.

. . .

He didn't listen to Diggle, though.

He never went home.

Oliver just couldn't bring himself to do it. He felt like he had so much to make up for. Didn't he? He felt like he did. Maybe it was just guilt because it was his mother who had put Felicity in that hospital bed. Instead, he'd stayed up much of the night trying to ready Felicity's apartment. He'd asked Sara to help. He just hoped that Felicity would welcome their intrusion rather than see it as trespassing into her space.

The windows had been opened to let some air in for a few hours while he'd taken out trash, gone through the fridge, and then rearranged furniture just a bit in order to accommodate her cast or boot and crutches. Sara had gone in and changed the bed before leaving with a bag full of clothes she told him needed to be dry cleaned. Sara really hadn't been one to wear such fancy things, but he knew that she knew what she was talking about, he'd caught her checking tags at one point. She said she knew some place that was open all night and that she'd meet him for food shopping.

They'd gotten enough food that it had filled both her fridge and freezer and most of her cupboards. There were bottles of water and even some boxes of canned sodas on the floor. They just wanted to be prepared for whoever was going to stay there. Oliver just hoped that the food would get eaten.

Before he'd left, he'd made sure that the flowers that he'd gotten for her had been put in a vase and set by her bed. It had been a long night, but Oliver really didn't need sleep…at least not that much.

"You look tired."

Oliver looked up from his desk, he'd been spacing all morning. "I had a long night," he responded with a small smile. An unexpected visitor. "What are you doing here?"

"Diggle seems to have things handled with Felicity and I figured that she could probably use some space before we all invade," Sara told him with a smile. She held up a large paper bag. "But I figured that you had a long night, not enough sleep, and that you could probably use some food."

"You're amazing."

As he stared at her, he couldn't help but smile. He was glad that Sara was back for good and that she didn't have to hide in the shadows. Even though things weren't perfect between her and Laurel, there was still this light about Sara. He didn't know if it was just because she was happy to be back or if it was of how happy both of her parents seemed to be. Whatever was to blame, he was happy for her.

"You know you're a good friend," Sara told him as she sat across him at his desk, setting the bag between them. "Not everyone would go to the lengths you've gone to."

"Felicity is family."

"I can see that," Sara said with a nod.

"So is Diggle," Oliver added a moment later.

"You guys are close," she continued. "I can see why…and that's good… It's good to have people…"

"You know, we're your family too."

Sara smiled at him. "I know… I'm just still trying to find my place…though I think I'm finding it faster than Roy…"

"Roy," Oliver said with a sigh. Roy was going to take a lot more work. It was going to take him time to control his strength and learn discipline. It wasn't something that could happen overnight. It was going to take a lot more time than he was sure Roy thought. "He's a bit of a delicate issue."

"I don't think delicate is quite the right word to describe Roy," Sara commented as she started to pull the food out of the bag.

Oliver smirked. "You're right. That's fair."

. . .

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'm…pretty…sure?" Oliver asked. He suddenly wondered if this was a bad idea after all. He'd managed to get Sara to work the Foundry and the city for him for the night. She'd practically made it her idea.

"Don't say that I didn't give you a choice."

Oliver tilted his head a bit and looked around. He noticed that the bedroom door was shut and then Diggle had obviously been out in the living area watching TV. He'd just assumed that Felicity was resting or sleeping. Was there something else going on? Had he missed something?

"What's going on?"

Diggle was already pulling on his jacket. He turned and shrugged. "She's just in a mood…" He looked back towards the closed door. "Don't tell her I said that…" He looked back to Oliver. "But it's true…"

"Did something happen?"

"Maybe it's just being frustrated about not being able to walk well or being cooped up here, or the pain meds talking… She's just not her normal self."

Oliver just nodded. He could see any of those being the reason why she was off. He reached out and patted Diggle's shoulder. "Thank you…for everything."

"I did it for Felicity—"

"I know, I just—"

"I know you wish you could have been there too, " Diggle told him. "The important thing is that she's home and that she's going to be okay. Call me tomorrow."

"I will," Oliver said as he walked him to the door.

He waited a few minutes, pretending to settle. Oliver couldn't stop worrying about Felicity. He walked towards her bedroom, listening closely for any sign that she was awake. If she was sleeping, he didn't want to wake her. Oliver put his ear to the door and frowned with what he heard.

She was in there crying.

Oliver didn't think she could be in pain; she would have pain medication for sure. He gently knocked on the door and waited. He could hear her and it broke his heart. He wanted to just go in, but he was trying to respect her space.

"I'm fine," Felicity finally called out but he could hear a break in her voice.

"Felicity, it's Oliver," he called quietly. "Can I come in please?"

She was silent for a long while.

"Felicity?"

"You can come in," she finally responded.

Oliver didn't waste any time as he opened the door. When he entered, she was sitting up in bed and looking miserable. "Hey…what's wrong?"

She wiped her face. It was obvious that she'd been doing that. "It's okay…I'm just- It's nothing…"

"Felicity…talk to me."

Oliver moved across the room and sat on the edge of her bed. He was trying to be mindful of where her leg was and not to make the bed dip near her now healing leg. His hand reached out and took one of her hands in his. He squeezed lightly and looked into her puffy red eyes.

"You brought me these beautiful flowers," she whispered as she turned her head towards them. "And I love them so much…and I feel so bad because all I can think is about the flowers your mom brought last night… I made Diggle take them to someone else's room…"

"Hey, if they upset you—"

"I don't want them to…"

Oliver reached out with his other hand and cupped her cheek. "How about if I take them into the other room? If you feel better about them later, then I'll bring them back…"

"I had nightmares…"

"About my mother?"

Felicity nodded slowly.

His eyes had stayed on her the whole time. He could tell that she was torn. He knew Felicity's feelings as far as his mother was concerned. Oliver had been hoping to avoid that topic while he was there with her. "I'm sorry…" he whispered.

"I don't want you to feel guilty, Oliver," she whispered.

Oliver sighed. "Why don't I distract you?"

"Distract me?"

"What about a movie?"

"What kind of movie?"

"Any movie you want," he told her.

Felicity smiled. "I really don't have much of a collection."

"I meant it when I said any movie you want," Oliver reminded.

. . .

TBC…


	7. It's Complicated

Felicity didn't know how much she'd slept. It was like being home was relaxing, but having Oliver there helped too. He'd moved the flowers and she still felt bad about it. They were so beautiful… She tried to move, but found that her arm was pinned. Felicity frowned and turned her head.

Oliver.

She remembered him sitting on the edge of the bed before she'd fallen asleep, but she'd thought he'd left. He'd fallen asleep there as well and he was on her arm and pressing against her side. Felicity wanted to move, but she didn't think she could. She also really didn't want to wake him up.

Turning to find a clock with the time, she steadied her gaze on the one on the nightstand. She'd only been asleep for a couple of hours. It felt longer. She really didn't want to wake him up now. Felicity sighed and stared at him. He looked so peaceful. He didn't normally look like this…

"You're staring," he whispered before his lips perked into a smile.

Blush ran through her cheeks. "Only for a minute…you're crushing my arm…" Felicity probably wouldn't care so much normally, but it was the one that they'd kindly put in a brace. The brace was what was probably protecting her arm, but his weight was putting pressure on it and it was cutting into her skin along the edges of the brace.

He immediately shifted to release her. "Sorry…I hadn't meant to fall asleep…and I hadn't meant to do so on your arm," he told her apologetically.

Felicity just watched him. He looked exhausted still. "You're going to make yourself sick," she said with concern. "You've been either out running around the city or working at QC… You need sleep…"

"I don't really need that much sleep," he told her.

"You should go home—"

"I'm not going to be able to sleep there," Oliver told her quickly. "I've been looking for places…"

"You still need sleep…even if you're sleeping at the Foundry on a cot."

"I don't need a cot—"

Felicity groaned at the thought of sleeping on the hard cement floor of the Foundry. It definitely didn't sound comfortable to her. "I'll move over and you can sleep here… Obviously you didn't have a hard time falling asleep before."

"I'm awake now."

Felicity stared at him. "I don't even remember what we were doing before I fell asleep. I think I said I wanted to watch something…"

"We watched a movie."

"What movie?"

Oliver just smiled. "The pain medication is really helping now, isn't it?"

"I don't think I like it," Felicity grumped. She didn't like not remembering, especially when it came to Oliver…and Oliver being in her apartment…in her bed. Something about that seemed so unfair.

"Believe me, you'll appreciate it more when it starts to wear off…"

"Maybe…"

Oliver stared at her for a long moment. "You know you're safe," Oliver told her as he reached out to touch her face. "We're going to all keep you safe… You can trust us."

"I know," she whispered. "I just wish that I wasn't stuck in this bed and that I could do more…"

"Focus on you."

"I'm not good at that," Felicity blurted out.

She stared at Oliver with wide eyes. She hadn't meant to say that. It was the truth, but she hadn't meant to admit it to Oliver. It was how she was though; she was a person who took care of other people first. She was always last on her priority list.

"I've noticed…and I've probably taken advantage of it…"

"It wasn't like I never had a choice," Felicity told him. "I've had a choice all along…"

"I didn't make it easy."

"Oh, no…early on you made it a lot easier to say 'no' than you do now." She noticed how confused he looked. "You were different then," she tried to explain. Felicity wondered if she was just digging herself into a hole. "You were still charming…but when I learned the truth and I was helping you… You were mean and rude…and you were someone that I never thought I'd love so much that it would hurt to think about losing you…" She paused and wondered if she needed to clarify the 'love' part. "And by love you, I mean…"

"You don't have to go on, Felicity…"

"No, I don't want you to think—"

He leaned in and silenced her with a kiss to her cheek. "I know, Felicity," he whispered into her ear.

Felicity just stared at him as he pulled back. She knew that Sara and Oliver seemed to be in some sort of weird relationship. They had so much in common and a history…they had the island and everything that came before that… She didn't have that with Oliver… They were so different and she'd known him for such a short time…

"You and Sara—"

"It's complicated—"

"Everything with you is complicated, isn't it?" she blurted out frankly and then covered her face. Tears fell down her face. "I'm sorry… John should be here, he's so much better for me to be around when my filter isn't working…"

"Hey," Oliver said softly as his hands held either side of her head. "You and I have known each other long enough that I think we can be honest…"

"Not that honest," she whispered. She let her hands drop and she stared at him. He almost seemed hurt. "Oliver—"

"I thought we didn't keep secrets?"

He was right. They didn't. "You know how I feel… You always know how I feel about everyone and everything… But when I blurt things out in front of you, then things are a little awkward…"

"Are they?"

"For at least three minutes," Felicity told him. "John is used to it…or just doesn't judge as much…at least when it's just him and me."

"I can call Diggle, if you'd rather he were here ins—"

"No," Felicity said. "It isn't like that."

"Then what do you want me to do, Felicity? Tell me. I'll do it."

"It's complicated," she finally replied.

. . .

TBC…


	8. The Therapist

Oliver sat in the living room area, the TV was on, but he wasn't watching it. He was thinking about Felicity. He was thinking about what she had said and what she meant by it all. There were feelings there… She had them; he'd known that for some time. He had them, but he'd been denying them. He had his reasons. He was sure that Felicity would find a loophole in most of them.

"You look like crap."

He jumped at the voice and stood there staring at the person who had let herself in. They'd made copies of Felicity's key to make things easier. He hadn't even heard the door open. Sara just stared at him like he was crazy. He could also see it when her face turned to concern.

"I—I need more sleep," he finally mumbled.

"Go and sleep then," Sara told him. She walked up to him and ran her hand along his arm. "You've been pushing yourself too much… You need to take some time and actually sleep…"

"I have too much on my mind."

"Felicity's going to be fine," Sara told him. "Diggle told me that she was a little upset and maybe a little paranoid when she first got here…but she's going to be fine… She'll be stronger."

"It's not just about Felicity."

"Your mother?"

"How did—"

"Felicity mentioned that she couldn't be trusted… I figured there was something you all weren't telling me," Sara told him. "I can see why Felicity or Diggle might keep it from me, but you? You know you can talk to me, Ollie…"

"It's something Felicity found out," he said vaguely. "Something big…and she confronted my mother… I don't think my mother was expecting Felicity to risk her relationship with me to tell me because Felicity's a person who can't keep secrets like that…"

"Your relationship?"

"Friendship…"

"That's not what you said."

Oliver stared at her. "Things are complicated, aren't they? You know that I feel like Diggle and Felicity are my family…so we're not exactly friends."

"I've seen how she looks at you," Sara told him.

He wasn't sure how to take that or her tone. It was more matter of fact than anything else. "I—"

"And I've seen how you look at her," Sara told him. "I know that you'd do anything to save her, Ollie."

"I'd risk everything to save you…or Diggle," Oliver said quickly.

It was true.

"Come on, Ollie," Sara said. "I'm not blind."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You care about Felicity."

Oliver just stared at her. "Of course I do."

"She keeps your secrets safe."

"I'm getting confused to where this conversation is going," Oliver admitted.

Sara just smiled. She was quiet for a moment and then she looked a little sad. "I'm saying, maybe you and I…" She looked down for a moment. When she looked back up at him, he still didn't know what to think. "Maybe you and I should take a few steps back…"

"I don't understand—"

"That's the problem, Ollie…"

"I—"

"Go home," Sara told him. "Or to the Foundry… I'm pretty sure that Digg put a cot down there last night…unless Roy's been sleeping there. I'm pretty sure he has a place though."

Oliver just stared at her. What was going on? He suddenly just didn't know what was happening. Oliver just finally nodded. "Okay." He turned and picked up his things, he stopped and stared in the direction of Felicity's bedroom door. "She's going to be due for her pain pills in about an hour."

"Digg said that you're writing everything down."

"Right," Oliver said as he motioned to the notebook on the table. He turned back to her and she almost looked like she pitied him. He really just didn't know where any of this was going. "Sara, can we talk about this first?"

"Go sleep, Ollie," she told him. "We can talk about this tomorrow…"

"Sara—"

"I'm not talking about this until you've had some sleep."

"But are we okay?" Even though Oliver was confused with what was going on, he wanted to make sure that things were good between them. He didn't want to leave and there be something so wrong that they wouldn't be able to come back from it. Sara was a relationship and friendship that he wanted to make sure that he didn't ruin or destroy. He already felt like his relationship with Laurel had gone to a place where he didn't think that they could ever come back from.

"We're okay, Ollie," she said with a small smile. "Now…go somewhere and sleep…"

. . .

He ended up heading to the Foundry. It was early enough in the day that he could take a nap and then go out and see if anything needed to be done in the city. "You brought this stuff for me, didn't you?"

"I didn't think you'd actually go back to the mansion," Diggle said. "I took the liberty of bringing some of your clothes," he added as he motioned to the area off to the side where there was a small clothes rack set up.

"Digg, you and I are friends, right?"

He didn't miss the look on Diggle's face. Oliver figured that he must think he was stupid. "Yeah…"

"I talked to Sara before I came over," he started. Oliver really wasn't sure how he was going to go about explaining all of this to Diggle. He already felt stupid.

"Okay…"

"We were discussing Felicity and somehow Sara said that maybe we should take a couple of steps back in our relationship," Oliver said. "And then she wouldn't discuss it with me until I get some sleep…"

"She probably sees what everyone sees," Diggle said slowly.

Oliver stared at him and tried to think of how to pose his next question. "Felicity and I—"

"She has feelings for you, Oliver, that's been clear for a while," Diggle told him. "And though I was prepared for her to be upset when she found out about you and Sara…she wasn't… I think it's actually because how can you not like Sara? It's not Sara's fault that you haven't figured out which world you're living in…"

"What do you mean? What world—"

"There's the world here…before you went on that boat, the world that was the island, and then the world that was right after you came back, and then there's now…" Diggle tried to explain. "You've been in limbo this whole time… Whenever I think you're making a decision to live in one, you take two steps back."

"I—I—don't even know what that means…"

"I don't want you to think that I'm not your friend, because I am. I'm proud of who you are right now, Oliver…" Diggle said. "But you've made some crappy decisions…" He was quiet for a moment. "You know I love Sara…and I love Felicity…and I'm not taking sides… But I think you really need to soul search…"

"Digg—"

"You've got so many skeletons, Oliver," Diggle said. "You've been slowly dealing with everything… You've finally decided that you're done chasing Laurel, which I hope means that in the future…if Laurel calls, unless it's an emergency, we're not going to take it as a priority just because it's Laurel."

Oliver sucked in breath. "I think I know what you're saying."

"I hope so."

"Sara's from my past—"

"But if you two have a connection and you two can be honest with each other," Diggle interrupted. "I don't know everything about that relationship."

"Felicity…" Oliver was quiet. There were so many words to describe Felicity. "I put her in danger…and—"

"And what? She can't hit back like Sara can?" Diggle questioned. "She has other strengths… It's not just Felicity's computer skills, Oliver… It's her honesty and her heart…"

Oliver was quiet as he thought about what Diggle said. He really did have to think about it. To think about everything. It just seemed like everything had hit all at once. It wasn't just Sara and Felicity that he was trying to figure out, but his relationship with his mother as well. He felt like he just needed a break… He needed some time to breathe.

"Think about it," Diggle told him.

He sat down on the cot and sighed. What was he going to do? What was the right thing to do? What would be the best choice? It felt like all those questions had different answers. He didn't like that.

"When I first signed on for all of this," Diggle said. "I told you that I thought love was about finding someone who was the right fit, not someone who needed to be changed or saved…or something along those lines…" He paused as he grabbed his jacket. "Just…think about it… And don't just use your head," he said before heading out. "I'll be back later…"

Oliver just sat there nodding. He didn't know what else to do. It was going to be a lot to think about…

"Also!" Diggle called from the stairs. "I might have to ask for a pay increase being your therapist and your black driver!"

He laughed and shook his head. Though, maybe Diggle and Felicity deserved a pay raise. He was fairly sure that Diggle was pretty much everyone's therapist in Team Arrow. He was the one who was always willing to listen and could remain calm in most situations. Oliver sucked in breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He was trying to calm himself and really just settle. He needed to figure things out, but he also needed to sleep.

"Go to bed, Oliver," he told himself.

Getting up from the cot, he moved across the room and shut off the power to the lights. He moved back to the cot and removed his shoes. He knew that normally he'd try to ensure that he was ready to go at a moment's notice, but he really needed to relax. Sleeping with shoes on really wasn't relaxing…

He hated complicated.

Oliver reclined back in the cot and tried to relax. He needed sleep, so he could make some decisions when he woke. At least he hoped that it would make things clearer.

. . .

TBC…


	9. Games

"It's been a long time since I've played a board game!"

"Me too."

"I'm glad that we did this."

"It was your idea."

"I have brilliant ones sometimes," Sara told Felicity.

Laughter had filled the room and Felicity had never expected the day to turn out like this. She'd expected to mope in her bedroom while whoever was babysitting sat in the front room watching TV. Not like this. She'd had such a good time and it was probably the best she'd felt in a week…

"I could definitely get some other games if you want? I don't know if you have a preference?" Sara offered.

They'd been playing Battleship for about an hour and though Felicity had been a little hesitant, it had been fun. She liked Sara, she did, but she'd been worried about it being awkward. It wasn't awkward. Felicity was actually dreading the change in shift that would be coming soon enough. "I never really played many board games growing up."

"Really?"

Felicity couldn't quite place if Sara just sounded surprised or if there was a mix of sadness or almost pity in her voice. "I didn't have a sister to play with… I'm sure you and Laurel played plenty of board games growing up…"

"To a certain age," Sara said. She smiled at Felicity. "When we were younger, we'd have family game night. I know that might be a little hard to believe with how my family is now. My dad used to love those nights, but we'd always dread Monopoly because my dad would make us stick to the official rules…" Sara laughed for a moment. "We'd always want to play teams and give free passes on rent and give out loans…he would never have it. You'd think he was the board game police."

She beamed. She liked to think of Quentin Lance like that. "I'm sure he'd be fun to play with now…"

"Oh, I'm sure we could call him up. Lure him over with the offer of pizza and keeping us occupied one night… All I'd have to do was to mention that you'd never played it before and he'd felt obliged to right that wrong," Sara said.

Felicity was the one laughing now. "It might just have to be a plan."

They got quiet as they both worked on setting up their respective boards for another round. "You never talk about your family, do you?" Sara asked suddenly.

Felicity looked up at her, surprised. She thought for a minute and then realized that it hadn't been an odd transition to that topic. She looked back down at her board and thought about how she was going to respond to that. She'd barely talked to Oliver about her family and she'd been extremely vague then. No one had asked her before…

"No, I don't," she finally responded.

"So, not close?"

"Not like your family."

"Well, we're not that close…"

"You're pretty close," Felicity told her quietly. "Laurel will come around… She'll realize that she's lucky to have a sister…and to have you back…"

"I hope so."

"If not, I don't mind borrowing you," Felicity confided.

Sara beamed at her. "Anytime…"

. . .

"Has Oliver been here?"

"No."

"Have you talked to him?"

"No."

"That's odd."

"Things are just…"

Complicated.

She really did hate that word. It was so right on target though. Felicity really hated that. As much as she wanted to hear from Oliver, she knew that he had to be okay because Sara or Diggle would have said something. Thea and Roy would have chatted about it and Felicity would have been able to overhear them. But maybe it was really good for them to have this space.

It was odd.

Felicity was far too used to spending so much of her day with him and Diggle, without them…it was just weird. Felicity almost felt incomplete. Maybe it was because she she'd become too attached…or maybe it was just that he was family…

"There's space…and then there's letting people know you're going to fall off the map."

Felicity stared at Diggle. "I don't think you can really say he fell off the map," she told him quite seriously. She tilted her head. "Are you telling me that he hasn't been at QC? That he hasn't been at the Foundry? That you have no idea where he is? Hand me my tablet," she said as she held out her hand in the direction of her tablet. "I'll ping his cell."

Diggle shook his head at her. "You're a good friend, you know that?"

"Friend," Felicity said. "That's me."

He tilted his head and stared at her. Felicity didn't miss the stare and quickly avoided looking directly at him. "You know, Oliver—"

"Have you ever played Battleship?"

"Battleship?"

He sounded confused. She looked back over to him and quickly noticed that it was more a mix of amusement. "The game… Apparently there's a movie… I really don't know how they decided making a movie off of a board game concept is a smart idea, but Hollywood…they do what they want…"

Diggle smirked. "Of course, I've played it…"

"Sara and I were playing earlier… Do you want to play?"

"Why do I think you're trying to distract me from our conversation?"

"I just want… I want us to pretend to have normal lives for one evening…"

"Board games are a normal lives kind of thing?"

"That's what it seems like… Aren't there commercials that promote family game nights?"

Diggle grinned. "Yeah, board game companies…"

"I'm serious… Let's make a night of it… Maybe I can even venture out of this room," Felicity said as she motioned around to her bedroom. Since being home, she'd seen hardly anything beyond her bedroom and the bathroom. She wanted to be able to just have this one normal night.

"What were you thinking?"

. . .

Felicity hadn't been in charge of a lot of things since she'd been hit by Mrs. Queen. She wasn't really even in charge of herself. She hated having to rely on people even though she knew that it was necessary right now and ultimately it was being apart of a family.

These people were her family…

It was like overnight their little family of three had exploded out into a bigger group. She didn't mind it, not as much as she thought she might at first. It was nice really… There were so many facets of everyone and they all made her feel needed and human in different ways… She wasn't sure if that was right, but it was how it was. Maybe it was just all of the sitting in the bed and healing that had her internalizing so much.

But this was going to be the best day; she was determined to make sure that it went off without a hitch. She'd done as much as she could with text messages and phone calls. This was their one chance to really feel like a normal family. The city could be quiet and not need all of them for one night… Or at least she hoped that it could. It wasn't just for her though; she'd noticed that Roy seemed to be integrating into their family a little better…

And Thea…

Poor Thea…

She was the only one who didn't know that she was apart of their little family by default of being Oliver's sister and Roy's girlfriend. She was absolutely adorable though and Felicity sort of thought of her as her trendy little sister who had more fabulous things to do all the time. And Sara, Felicity felt like she probably felt more connected to their family and just being back to Starling City. Felicity didn't know from experience, but she was certain that it was quite a leap from being a professional assassin. She was fairly sure that they didn't play Battleship in their downtime or do mundane things like go grocery shopping…

The only person who was going to be missing from their little party would most likely be Oliver. He'd been keeping his distance and from a comment from Sara earlier, Felicity could only think that they'd both said something to him and he was either distancing himself or he was thinking about it. Felicity just hoped that he wasn't doing the former. Getting Oliver to open up and really be part of their team…their family…that had taken a lot of work. Oliver tended to BE an island. Sure, he was on one for five years…but it had become a state of mind for him at one point…and she and Diggle had quite literally dragged him off of that island again.

No more island.

Oliver could be anything else he wanted. A moose. A mountain. A chimney sweep. A penguin. Something else that was random. He just couldn't be an island, especially not that island. As much as she hated that island, she knew that without Lian Yu that their lives would all be vastly different. She didn't know if she could really deal with different. She didn't want to be in that alternate universe.

Her phone sounded and she reached out and grabbed it. She stared at the text for a long time before letting out a sigh. She started to reply and just wondered if it was the right thing to do or not.

Diggle: Did you invite him yet?

Felicity: No.

Diggle: He's going to figure it out.

Felicity: I know.

Diggle: He's not that out of the loop.

Felicity: Someone will tell him, I'm sure if I don't invite him.

Diggle: Probably Sara.

Felicity: Probably Thea.

Diggle really always knew what was going on. Felicity didn't always find that convenient, but he also pushed them to be their best and see the best inside of them. He really was the best. He was right, though. She needed to text Oliver. He'd either show up or he wouldn't. That would be that.

Felicity: Hey. Haven't seen you in forever…well, not forever…just not exactly when I'm accustom to seeing you… Not to sound stalker-ish. Anyways… I'm having a little party tonight, just dinner and fun stuff that doesn't involve me moving much from the couch. So…the boring kind of party. Six o'clock at my apartment.

She had hit send before she could go back and edit out all the ramble that she'd automatically typed it. She groaned and lay back in bed. She let the phone fall beside her as she stared up at the ceiling. Oh well, at least Oliver was used to it.

He'd either come or he wouldn't.

That was it.

. . .

TBC…


	10. The Party

He'd been keeping his distance for good reason.

Oliver knew that he couldn't keep it up, but was now really the time to— He knew that he needed to figure his life out. They were all right. How could they all be so right and he could be so clueless? He could be so observant when he was the Arrow and he was on a mission, but when it came to the people closest to him…that he loved…he was completely clueless.

He was a different person.

Oliver was starting to think that he really was just realizing that. Deep down, he knew that. Oliver knew that he was a different person, but he really hadn't completely embraced it before. He'd taken steps here and there, but Diggle was right. He had a foot in two different worlds… He needed to choose where he stood and move forward from there.

He knew that he couldn't stay in the past, before Lian Yu. That wasn't him anymore. The island had changed him. Being the Arrow had changed him. Felicity had changed him. He wasn't that selfish rich kid who was all about girls and partying anymore. He couldn't go back to that. Oliver knew that he couldn't go back to Laurel. That was done. They were done. He wasn't going back. He couldn't. That chapter in his life story needed to be closed.

He couldn't live on an island anymore. He knew that. Not Lian Yu and not the one that he created for himself. They'd shown him that. They were a team. As much as Oliver didn't want to admit it, he needed them. They all needed each other. It wasn't just Team Arrow. It wasn't just QC. It was life. He needed the family that had come together. He wasn't that scared boy on the island who had to figure out how to survive. He'd made it past that. He had people that he could rely on, who relied on him. During his time on the island, he'd loved Shado…and he'd loved Sara. He wasn't the only one who had changed since then, so had Sara. She was stronger and different now. Oliver didn't know why it had just seemed so natural to go back to her once she was back in Starling City for good. He hadn't even thought past the point of them needing each other.

Was that all it was?

Need?

Desire?

Want?

Comfort?

He also wasn't the killer that he had been when he'd come back. Life had been different when he'd been called the Hood. That wasn't Oliver. He was out of control then and driven by something that wasn't a purpose. Not a real one. He'd been following and doing what he'd thought was right only to realize that that wasn't who he should be. It wasn't only Tommy and his death that forced him into this realization. It was Felicity. She'd told him that there had to be another way.

She was right.

He'd changed. They'd all changed. They'd become more cohesive, though they could still be dysfunctional. Weren't all families? They were his friends, his family, and his team. Without them, he couldn't be the Arrow. It just wasn't possible.

. . .

Did he go to the party? Oliver still didn't know even though he was sitting in his car. He'd told himself he was going to go, but now he was rethinking that decision. He just didn't know how he was going to be able to continue with anything that involved Felicity and/or Sara before he made his decision, so basically…his whole life.

Sara was from his past, they'd grown up together, her getting on the Gambit with him had been the first thing to spin his life off its original, she'd shared time with him on the island, she'd grown and changed, they were alike, and he did love her. With Sara, he didn't have to worry so much about if he was putting her in danger. Sara could take care of herself. Though, there was still a lot of uncertainty about her being back, especially when it came to her family. Things weren't simple between them.

Felicity had seen right through his lies from the start, he'd been drawn to her since he first approached her for help, she'd saved his life, she'd put up with his 'moods', she kept his secrets, she was probably the truest person that he knew in his life, and he loved her. He didn't need to hide with her because he knew that it was pointless to try, Felicity would call him out on his lies or deception. She'd taught him how to go about things differently and he didn't know if he'd be the same man he was if she hadn't joined Team Arrow. Oliver knew that no matter how much of an ass he was, Felicity would always be there for him… The thing about Felicity was…he was terrified of losing her. Unlike Sara, Felicity couldn't physically defend herself.

Oliver sat there and just thought about his life. He loved them both, but it was different. He and Sara had a relationship that seemed to benefit both of them and so far, things had just fallen into place. They weren't out there proclaiming their love for one another or anything, but part of that had to do with the current circumstances…plus, Oliver really wasn't one to ever feel the need to do so. They weren't living together and when he thought about it, their relationship was mostly physical. Sara was a smart woman, but their conversations mostly revolved around Team Arrow and the island and her family… He hadn't even told her all of his family secrets… He didn't know if he ever would.

Diggle: Are you coming over?

Oliver sighed as he stared down at the text message. Did he go? Right now he wished that Diggle was there in the car with him, so he could talk it over. He knew that Diggle always had an opinion on every topic whether he wanted it or not. This time, he wanted it. He needed it.

Oliver: I don't know.

Diggle: Well, everyone else is here. There's food and fun.

Oliver: I'm surprised Felicity invited me.

Diggle: Felicity is never going to leave you out on anything, even if you two are having a hard time.

Oliver: I don't know what to do.

Diggle: Come over.

Oliver: I feel like I should have answers for them.

Diggle: So, this is about Felicity AND Sara. Not just the party?

Oliver: Yes.

Diggle: Hang on.

Oliver sighed and looked around. Did he start his car? Did he head over there? He was sure that he'd look like a creeper if he did a slow drive by just to try to see something from the street. He was sure that it would be even worse if he got out and walked up there only to chicken out once he got to the door.

His phone started to ring and he stared down at the caller ID. Diggle. At least he could talk it through. He put the phone up to his ear. "I didn't mean to pull you away from the party," he apologized. He knew that Diggle put up with a lot from him and he deserved time to relax and just be a normal person.

"Digg said you needed to talk."

He froze at the voice that responded.

Sara.

He hadn't expected that.

"Ollie? You there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he said. "I just expected Diggle."

"He said that you needed to talk… I guess he thought that maybe I was the person you needed to talk to," she said. "Why aren't you here yet?"

"Because of what you said—"

"You and I have been through a lot over the last six years, Ollie. We're different people. We just sort of jumped into things without really thinking when we found out that I could stay in Starling City and be a normal—well, closest to normal person that we can be," Sara said. "We have a history, Ollie… Maybe that's not the best for us."

"My feelings are real," Oliver told her. He didn't want her to think that this was all about lust. It wasn't. He cared about Sara.

"So are mine," she admitted. "But just because two people love each other, that doesn't mean they belong together."

"What you said before—"

"About Felicity?"

Oliver was quiet. "About Felicity," he said finally. His tone was quiet and calm. He really wanted to figure all of this out, but he also didn't want to hurt anyone. Felicity and Sara were two of the handful of people in his life that he just couldn't stand burn bridges with… He'd rather be friends with both of them rather than possibly lose them both. He didn't think he could function like he did without them.

"You know I like her," Sara said. "She's adorable and smart and…she loves you, Oliver, whether you both see it or not. Though, I don't think she feels like she's worthy of you… The thing is, you need a person that you can be one hundred percent honest with…who will take care of your secrets."

"That could be you."

"No," Sara said quietly. "I think there are too many secrets and lies between us…past and present… I can't promise to be that truthful with you in the future."

He could hear the pain in her voice. It hit him at that moment, could he see himself with Sara in five years? He could see them side by side fighting together, but could he see them in a relationship? He didn't know. "Sara…"

"I'm not saying that you should date Felicity," Sara said finally. "I'm just saying that you need to make your own decision… You need to make the right one for you and right now…I don't think this is the right decision for either of us."

"Sara—"

"It's probably better this way anyways," Sara said quickly. "Maybe it'll be easier with my family."

He had thought of that. "I—"

"You're going to be fine, Ollie," Sara added. "I'm still going to be apart of Team Arrow for as long as you'll let me… And I can't promise for sure that I won't be a little jealous if you and Felicity get together, but I can promise not to treat her differently…probably helps that I like her."

"I like her too," he said so quietly that he wasn't even sure if he'd really said it.

"We're still a family, right?"

"Yes," Oliver said firmly and it was like everything (or at least a good chunk of things he was worrying about) fell into place.

"Now come to the party," Sara instructed. These were orders, not a suggestion.

Oliver smiled. "I'll be there. Do I need to bring wine? Something?"

"Wine, definitely…and maybe some ice cream…"

"See you soon, Sara."

"See you soon."

Oliver ended the call and just stared at the phone in the palm of his hand. He and Sara weren't in a relationship anymore, but did he move ahead with Felicity? He felt like that wasn't exactly the right move. He felt like they needed some time, but not space. He needed to allow things to get back on track between them. Then he realized, with Felicity, he just needed them to allow to be themselves. He could do that.

. . .

When he arrived, he could hear laughter from outside. It was a good sound to hear, but it also made him a little more apprehensive about going in. Finally, he knocked and held his breath until the door was answered. He didn't have to wait long. Thea answered it; she had a bright smile and practically dragged him inside.

"What took you so long?" Thea questioned, but then was pulling the bag of ice cream from his hands without giving him a second to respond. She peeked into the bag before looking back up at him. "I'll put that away. Good choices, by the way."

He just watched for a moment as Thea headed towards the kitchen area to put the ice cream away. Oliver finally stepped in and closed the door behind him. He was carrying another bag that had the wine carefully wrapped in it and in his hands was a rather large bouquet of bright large sunflowers. He had figured that they were extremely different than the flowers that he'd brought before and those his mother had taken to the hospital.

Oliver slowly made his way in. Everyone was looking at him now. "Sorry, I'm late…"

"You're just in time for the next game," Felicity announced.

She looked beautiful even with her leg propped up and covered in the crazy contraption it was in to keep it safe until it healed up. She seemed in good spirits and like she was having a good time. He was glad, Felicity deserved that. She deserved to be happy.

"I also brought wine," he said as he held up one bag. "Hope there's room in the freezer."

Thea was back to gather the other bag. "Oh, I'll make sure there's room."

Though Thea wasn't old enough to be drinking, she did so on occasion and he didn't mind if it was while they were at Felicity's and if they weren't drinking and driving. Thea was a completely different person than she had been the year before, so he knew that she would be responsible.

"And these," he said as he held them up. "Are for Felicity."

"For me?" Felicity asked, she was beaming.

"Can I go put them in the bedroom?" Oliver asked. The flowers that he brought her before were still beautiful and fresh looking and in the kitchen/dining area. He'd taken such care in trying to find something that would be suitable and he just hoped that they were okay.

"Sure, they're beautiful," Felicity told him. "Thank you. That's very thoughtful."

Oliver made his way towards the bedroom in order to put them next to her bed. He realized as he got in there that he didn't have a vase, he turned around to head back out when a vase partially filled with water was handed to him. "Thanks," he said.

"Good job with the flowers," Diggle said before heading out of the bedroom.

Oliver took a moment to unwrap the flowers, drop in the food, and then place the flowers into the vase. He smiled because they brightened the room…just like Felicity did. He took the trash with him and headed back out.

"There's food on the counter in the kitchen," Roy told him and motioned to the kitchen.

"There's too much food," Felicity added. "Please eat something."

"Leftovers aren't a bad thing," Roy said.

Sara chuckled, "With Roy, there won't be any leftovers to worry about."

Everyone laughed, including Oliver as he dished himself up a plate. "So, we're playing games?"

"Unless you want to watch 'The Notebook'?" Thea called.

"No, no…I like games." He heard laughter behind him. Oliver just smiled before turning and heading over to find a spot with his plate. Felicity was in a chair with an ottoman and pillows propping her leg up, she'd been positioned so she could reach the coffee table to play the games. Oliver loved their family. Thea, Roy, and Sara were sitting on the couch while Diggle was sitting on the floor. Oliver found himself a spot on the floor too.

"We're going to play Monopoly because Felicity's never played before," Sara told him.

"Really?" Oliver asked as he looked towards her. Felicity hadn't seemed that sheltered to him. Oliver was never all about board games growing up, but that had been one that he and Thea had played on occasion.

Felicity shrugged. "Never really played board games growing up…"

"I already texted my dad," Sara spoke up. "He just texted back and said he's coming over…that he'll be here in five minutes."

Oliver grinned. He knew that Lance liked Felicity and he thought that it was sweet of him to want to see Felicity. He was sure that it was a combo visit: see Sara and check on Felicity. It was sweet. "I guess that means no underage drinking."

Thea stuck out her tongue.

"It'll be fun," Sara said.

"I thought you said that your dad gets crazy with rules?" Felicity questioned.

"Oh, he does," Sara told her. "But it'll still be fun."

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Quentin Lance had arrived and had brought a bag of chips and some beer. "I figured that I might as well bring something to contribute to the party." He looked towards Felicity. "So, I hear you haven't played Monopoly before… I'm the best teacher…especially before any of these corrupt you as far as the rules are concerned."

. . .

TBC…


	11. A Moment of Realization

"I thought you're supposed to be staying off of it."

"I'm not putting weight on it."

Oliver turned around to see Felicity attempting to get up from the chair that she'd been sitting in for most of the night. Lance seemed extremely concerned and had already said his goodnights to Sara, explaining that he really wanted to stay and make sure that Felicity was okay. Oliver thought that it was interesting that Lance had this odd relationship with Felicity. He wasn't sure if it was just Felicity's charm or if it was something more. After all, how could you resist her charm? It wasn't a normal kind of charm, but it pulled you in. Quentin Lance wasn't he only one…Walter Steele had been taken over by it, Oliver was pretty sure that that had happened even before he'd been smitten by her.

"Oliver, get over here and help her," Lance practically commanded.

Oliver didn't need to be told twice to help Felicity. Tonight was his night to stay with her and he just hoped that it wasn't awkward. He was actually pretty excited about it. It was their time to just be together, even if it was just talking about the weather and then Felicity sleeping. That was enough.

"I'm fine, I promise…" Felicity told them as she balanced on her good leg.

Careful to pick up Felicity, he tried to keep her booted leg as stable as possible. "Can you get the bedroom door?" Oliver asked and Lance was moving practically before he finished the sentence. He was gentle as he set her down in her bed. He knew that she needed to start to walking on it, but he couldn't help being protective of her and wanting her to have a couple or few days to heal.

Lance was moving around the room and obviously trying to help as much as he could. Oliver thought that if any of Team Arrow (besides Sara) that he was happy to have a relationship with Lance, he was glad it was Felicity. It meant that Lance would likely look out for her if she were to get into any trouble.

"Do you need anything? A glass of water? Ice cream? You didn't have any," Lance told her.

Felicity beamed at them. "A glass of water would be nice…and I was saving the ice cream until I had to take my pain meds… Coats the stomach."

"Which one do you want? Or do you want the ever so popular…some of each?"

"That sounds great. Thank you."

"Do you need he—" Oliver started to ask before he was cut off.

"I'm pretty sure I can figure it out," Lance told him quickly. "You see if pillows need to be fluffed and get the pain meds ready…"

Oliver just nodded. He waited until he left the room before turning to Felicity. She looked happy, which was good. He really hoped that it hadn't been too much for her, even though he was fairly sure that it had been her idea in some part.

"Did you have fun?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied with a smile. "Just wished I had been here earlier for the other games."

"We never watched the movies…"

"That's okay," Oliver assured. "I'm pretty sure that people were happy with how things turned out even without the movie." He looked over at the bedside clock before looking back to her. "I think the four hour Monopoly game was more than anyone expected…"

"Monopoly is a game that requires a full day," Lance said as he came in with a glass of water in one hand and a bowl of ice cream in the other. He set the water on the bedside table before offering her the bowl of ice cream with spoon. "Now, is there anything else I can get you?"

"You're so sweet, but I think I'm all set now," Felicity told him. "It's so late…I don't want to keep you any longer…"

"You're going to be fine?" he asked as he looked between Felicity and Oliver. Oliver just smiled a little more in response. "I could stay longer…"

"I'm going to be fine," Felicity insisted. "Oliver's going to sleep on the couch, just in case I need anything…"

Lance looked back at Oliver. "Why don't you walk me out?"

"Okay," Oliver just responded. He felt a lecture coming on. He'd known Quentin Lance long enough to see when he was protective of someone and when he was about to receive a speech. This was definitely one of those times. It just amused him even more because Felicity's wasn't a Lance… It was one thing if he was around Sara or Laurel, then he expected it, but with Felicity?

"You call me if you need anything," Lance told Felicity as he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. "Anytime for anything. I mean it."

"Okay," Felicity responded. "Thank you, Mr. Lance."

"I think we're at the point where you can call me Quentin," Lance told her. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Oliver pulled closed her bedroom door as they exited the room and he did as he was asked, he walked Lance to the door. "I'm glad that you could come over—"

"You still call me Mr. Lance or Officer Lance," he told Oliver quickly.

Smirking, Oliver waved a hand. "Of course." He wouldn't dream of pushing it to a first name basis. He was fairly sure he'd burned that bridge years ago. "I just wanted to let you know that I don't think it would have been nearly as much fun if you didn't come over."

"You all would have taught her all the wrong ways to play," Lance told him quite seriously. "I couldn't have that. Sara, I think, might be the worse at 'bending' the rules of Monopoly."

"Well, I appreciated the refresher on the rules," Oliver told him. "And I think maybe we should do this more often…"

"Maybe we could even convince Laurel to come over."

"Maybe," Oliver said.

"Speaking of my daughters," Lance said. "I expect you to be respectable around Felicity. She's recovering and she needs to heal. She doesn't need you keeping her up late or trying any of your…charm on her."

Apparently Lance was adopting Felicity as a Lance. Oliver really didn't mind that. "Of course. I couldn't agree more."

Lance stared at him for a long moment. "Just know that I'm keeping an eye on you as much as I have one on her."

"Good to know," Oliver said as he opened the door for Lance. If he wasn't so amused by Lance's paternal protectiveness over Felicity, he knew that he would have been irritated with him. "Night."

"Night, Mr. Queen."

Oliver watched Lance go for a moment before closing and securing the door. He checked the windows in the apartment and then picked up a few things that hadn't been put away yet before making his way back to the bedroom. He knocked on the door twice and waited until he heard her call him in. He opened the door and peeked in. "Did you want any help?"

"I really want to shower, but Diggle said to wait another day and then he'll wrap up my leg," Felicity said.

She looked a little pathetic in that bed. "Diggle's probably right…"

"I know," she said, sounding a little hopeless.

"You should probably change, though," Oliver pointed out. Felicity had been trying to still wear her skirts and blouses, but he doubted they were very comfortable to sleep in.

"After I finish my ice cream," Felicity told him as she picked up the bowl from the bedside table. She paused for a moment. "I really love my flowers, by the way."

"I was hoping you would," he said as he sat down at the end of the bed and just watched her.

Felicity took a couple of bites before speaking to him again. "So, what did Lance say?"

"What?"

"He didn't really need to be walked out."

He smiled. "The whole…don't take advantage of my daughter speech…except he was going for subtle…"

Felicity just stared at him for a moment. "I guess that's sort of sweet…"

"It's good that you have someone who thinks of you that way. He'd probably just prefer you weren't mixed up with me."

"Good luck with that," she told him with a smile. "You're stuck with me… I get hit IN my car by a car…and you're still stuck with me…"

Oliver's face got very serious. "That's not funny."

Felicity tilted her head as she stared at him. "I have to keep from becoming too serious…"

"My mother tried to kill you…twice…"

"I'm still here," she reminded quietly.

Felicity's calm was making him so frustrated. He didn't understand how she could be so calm about it. His mother wasn't exactly your run of the mill type of mom. She was powerful, determined, dangerous, and definitely not to be underestimated. All he wanted to do was to keep her safe and keep his mother at a distance. He noticed that she seemed to be losing the smile and looking rather upset.

Oliver sighed and scooted closer. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just…"

"You want to keep me safe," Felicity finished. "I get that…" She was quiet for a moment and she looked at him like she could see right into his soul. Oliver felt like Felicity could see right through his walls and lies and everything else most of the time. She was never a person he could hide from. "But Oliver…" She sighed and looked down before looking back up at him. "You're lucky to have the family you have…even with their flaws and skeletons…"

The look she gave him broke his heart a bit. He didn't know much at all about her family, but he knew that their little team was really the closest she came to a family right now. For him, they were family too. "Felicity, I can't just forget and forgive her…"

"Then don't," she told him. She reached out and took his hand. "We all know what she's capable of if she feels threatened… We'll be more cautious…"

"Felicity—"

"You can try to see if it works, Oliver," she insisted. "Tell her that you're willing to try to make it work and lay out everything for her…"

He just stared at her and then focused on her hand in his. He wished that he could go the route of the Arrow stepping in and threatening his mother, but he was honestly worried that that would put a bigger target on Felicity. He knew that her heart was in the right place, but he still didn't feel like it was smart. Would his mother appreciate having a relationship with him again…and Thea would no doubt appreciate not noticing that there was something odd between him and their mother.

"We always get sidetracked to heavy topics," Felicity said a few moments later. He was sure that she was trying to lighten the mood again and possibly cheer him up now.

"I guess we're just good at that," he said slowly as his thumb moved back and forth over the top of her hand.

"Well, let's stop…at least for right now," Felicity suggested. "Why don't you go into the other room and get those movies while I attempt to change into what'll pass as pajamas…"

"Are you going to be okay on your own?"

"I promise to try not to injure myself further or fall over or anything," Felicity told him. "But we both know that I need to start doing stuff for myself. It'll take me longer to get out of this thing," Felicity said as she pulled her hand from his and motioned to the contraption that held her leg in place. "I need to be able to go back to work…"

"I told you that you don't need to rush—"

"I'm going to go stir crazy…and no offense, I'll be happy once everyone's not over here…"

"Sick of us?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"Well, not everyone…"

"Thea and Roy?"

Felicity tilted her head to the side. "Possibly…but I didn't say that…"

Oliver smirked. "Maybe if they were separate."

"Perhaps… Roy just eats… Thea seems to just get bored and then irritated."

"I'm surprised that she's not shopping while she's here…"

"I posted my wifi password out there and everything," Felicity told him as she motioned to the other room.

Oliver had noticed that. It was posted on a bright colored post-it note on the fridge where no one could miss it. "Well, I'm glad that I get to spend some time with you…unless you're sick of me?"

"Go get the movie," she told him with a smile.

"I see I don't get an answer," he teased. Oliver got to his feet and started towards the door. He looked back over his shoulder. "Avoiding answering the question."

Felicity held up the now empty glass that had once held water. "I'll give it to you once you refill my glass, take the dishes out, and bring the movie back in… Hopefully by then I'll be dressed… Just make sure to take a really long time."

He headed back to her bedside and gathered the dishes and glass. "I'll make sure I knock before I enter."

He busied himself for several minutes until he heard the sound of what he swore was glass shattering. "Felicity!" he called and didn't bother knocking before entering.

Once he was inside, he paused as he took in the scene. Felicity was on the ground and she looked absolutely distressed. Tears were in her eyes and all he could think to say was, "It's okay." She'd somehow fallen over and the vase with the sunflowers had been knocked over. The vase was broken and there was water on the floor, but Oliver was more concerned about Felicity having been cut or hurt.

"It's okay," he repeated as he scooped her up. She was wearing a tank top and panties. He noticed little shorts off to the side, but he figured that they weren't absolutely necessary if she was going to be in bed anyways. Oliver set her on the edge of the bed before kneeling down to look her over. "Are you hurt? Cut anywhere?"

"I'm okay," Felicity told him. "I didn't mean—"

"The glass can be cleaned up," he told her calmly, holding her hand. "The water can be soaked up with a towel…and the flowers can be replaced…" He reached up and touched her cheek with his free hand. "You can't be…"

. . .

At some point, he'd fallen asleep.

Oliver had a hard time sleeping for long periods of time since he'd come back from the island. Part of it was because on the island, he'd become accustom to not sleeping for long periods of times while another part was that he'd have nightmares and he'd try not to sleep quite that long. He'd actually woken up because Felicity had let out a short cry. He'd realized that he couldn't remember if she'd gotten her pain pills before they'd fallen asleep during their third movie.

He'd slept more than four hours he realized.

Staring down at her, he watched her sleep for a moment. It was already well into the morning and nearly the afternoon. They'd really stayed up late watching movies. Oliver got up from the bed stealthily and moved to the window to make sure that the room was as dark as it could be. He wanted to make sure that she got enough sleep. If she started to sound like she was in pain, he'd wake her up enough to give her the medication in hopes that she could fall back asleep.

Oliver moved back to the other side of the bed and climbed back in. He couldn't help it; he'd been so comfortable there. He lay on his side and just watched her. She was beautiful and she seemed so content. He'd thought before about if he could see himself with Sara or Felicity in five years… Now he knew, he could see himself with Felicity…

Things were different between him and Felicity, that was for sure. The closest they'd come to being intimate were friendly comforting touches or a hug. They hadn't kissed or taken it to the bedroom. Yes, they'd slept together…but it had been purely that. They'd slept in the bed side by side. That was enough for him right now. There was something so much more natural and intimate between them in their relationship, he realized.

He knew that they'd all been right.

Diggle.

Sara.

They'd all known.

Well, now he did too.

But he was going to take it slow. He was going to be the man that Felicity saw. He wasn't going to be the Oliver Queen he was before he met her. He was going to be the man that she was worthy of.

It was going to take time.

They had the time.

He loved her.

. . .

TBC…


	12. Going For Normal

It was the first time since she'd been in the accident that she really slept well without the sole influence of the pain pills or sedatives. She stretched and then cringed a bit at the pain in her leg. She really hated when she stretched and then her leg protested. The stretch felt really good…up until that point. She opened her eyes and just stared at Oliver there in bed next to her. His eyes were closed and she wondered if he was really asleep. She just froze and stared at him. Her glasses were even still on her face, so she knew that she must have been really tired to fall asleep like that.

She straightened her glasses and he was suddenly lying there staring at her, eyes open. Felicity froze again. Had he been awake for long? "What time is it?"

"Afternoon," Oliver replied.

"Really?" she asked and then turned to look at the bedside clock. It was already past two. "Wow…we really slept the day away."

"I'm not complaining…"

She turned back to him and could feel the blush rising in her cheeks. She looked down and had to admit, she wasn't going to really argue either. "I—uh—"

"Are you blushing?"

He sounded a little amused, which only irked her. "No," she said quickly. "I think I'm just too warm…" she lied. Felicity sat up in bed and pushed the covers away. Right, she'd fallen asleep in a t-shirt and panties. That was it. She supposed that it really couldn't be THAT shocking. Women wore far less at the beach. It was just that Oliver hadn't seen her in that little… Was it so weird of her to want to save what he saw?

"Do you want to use the bathroom first?"

"I can wait, if you need to use it," Felicity said quickly. She looked over at him; he was staring at her again. She felt like the flush had gone down, she could hope at least.

"No, go ahead… I'm good," he told her and motioned with his hand towards the bathroom. "Just…no shower…"

Felicity crinkled up her nose at his last comment. "I really hate that."

"Well, you know…I could probably get something to cover up that contraption on your leg and seal it up…" Oliver told her.

Her eyes lit up and she loved him all the sudden even more than she'd loved him before. "Really?" she enthused. "But Diggle…"

"I'll tell him that I insisted."

Felicity smiled brightly at him. "Are you sure?"

"Will it make you feel better?"

"Definitely," she replied without missing a beat.

Oliver got up from the bed and then stopped and turned back to her. "Do you have plans today?"

Felicity just stared at him. What was his talking about? Plans? "I'm fairly sure that I'm supposed to be on bed rest," she told him.

"You being cooped up in here can't be the best thing," he told her. "No," Oliver decided before she could say anything more. "This is what's happening… I'll get your leg all covered up and you'll shower… You're going to get dressed. We're going to go to a late lunch…early dinner…make-up breakfast…whatever we want to call it… And then we're going to go find something to do before we go to the Foundry."

She just continued to stare at him. "Wh-what?"

"We can't stop living because of the car accident, right?"

"Right…" she replied slowly. Felicity still wasn't sure where this was going, especially since this wasn't the Oliver that she'd seen…well that she hadn't seen. It was like a switch had been thrown inside of him. "Okay…" she whispered.

"You seem confused."

"No," Felicity said. "But I didn't expect you to actually be encouraging me to leave my apartment…"

"If we're going to make this work," Oliver said. "Then you and I have to get back to somewhat normal as far as routine goes, right?"

Felicity continued to stare at him. Make it work? "Right… I mean, we have to keep our public identities safe…" She really didn't think that anyone would ever suspect her. Okay, so maybe Lance, but he already knew that she helped the Arrow. So far, she'd stayed out from behind bars, so she figured he was pretty safe knowing what he did.

"I figured that getting back to doing something would help you cope with everything too," Oliver told her.

"Does that mean I can go back to QC too?"

"Not yet," he said quickly. "Slow down."

"Isabel's trying to replace me?"

"Not going to happen."

"Diggle?"

"Doesn't want it."

Felicity beamed. "Okay… Let's get going with waterproofing this monstrosity, so I can shower…"

. . .

Felicity had found her shower far too wonderful. She really hadn't wanted to get out, but the water had started to turn cold and she'd known that Oliver was sitting outside of the bathroom door the whole time. It was sweet, but a little creepy.

"Am I going to be able to dress in private?" she asked as she popped open the door as far as she could with him sitting there. She had the towel wrapped around her and was just barely doing a good enough job holding it in place and keeping her balance.

"I won't be far if you need me…" he said. She watched him get up and head for the door. "Please try not to fall or break the new vase."

"I'll try not to hobble near glass," Felicity told him. She waited until he closed the door before she ventured further into her bedroom. She held the towel close and took her time picking out what she was going to wear. Felicity was thoughtful with her choices. Her outfit needed to be pretty, but also comfortable…especially given her leg.

She took her time getting ready, but had opened her bedroom door the moment that she was descent. She didn't want Oliver worrying unnecessarily. But she was taking her time doing her hair and just savoring getting to be able to leave her apartment. Even if they were only going out to eat and then the Foundry, she wanted to look nice. She didn't think that there was anything wrong with that.

"You know, we didn't talk about where we should go eat," Oliver said. She could see him behind her, hanging onto the doorframe, through the mirror.

"I honestly am just happy to leave my apartment," Felicity admitted. "I'm even more excited to do something more productive."

"You've helped me with QC from here and the hospital," Oliver reminded. "You did great. I was even amazed…and I know how incredible you are."

Felicity beamed as she ran the brush through her hair. She watched Oliver as she got ready. Normally, she thought that she'd have asked him to wait in the other room, but now…he'd seen her look like crap in the hospital and just…how he looked at her… She picked up her pink lipstick and was about to apply it when Oliver spoke up.

"You know, you don't need all of that…"

"Maybe," she said as she turned to look at him. She held the lipstick in her hand. "But it makes me feel pretty…"

"I saw you this morning, without it," Oliver told her. "You were absolutely angelic in bed…even with your hair not in perfect order or your make-up."

Felicity turned back to the mirror and applied the lipstick before turning back to him once again. "You're sweet."

"It's the truth," Oliver insisted.

"It makes me feel more normal…" She smiled at him. "We were going for normal, right?"

"Right," he agreed, Oliver was just staring at her.

"I'm ready," Felicity announced. She held onto the lipstick in case she needed to reapply later. It would be dropped in her purse as soon as she made it to the bed to retrieve it.

"So am I."

. . .

TBC…


	13. All Kinds of Awkward

Felicity thrilled while Diggle was pissed.

It was Felicity first day back at the Foundry.

Oliver really couldn't make very many people happy, it seemed. Sara and Roy had been thrilled to see her though. He wasn't sure if it was because Felicity wasn't going to have to be under watch anymore at her place or if it was because of him…he was fairly sure that Diggle had pointed out before that he could be a jerk especially when Felicity wasn't around. It wasn't a conscious thing.

But her smile…

He'd happily take Diggle being pissed at him if it meant that she was so happy. Plus, they couldn't keep her sealed up in her apartment for much longer. It was better for her to be getting back to a routine and to be able to be on her leg, just as long as she didn't over do it, and it ended up getting elevated. All, they were doing.

"You know—"

"If you say you can manage without me, one more time, John, I'm going to lose it," Felicity said and then turned in her computer chair, which required her to bring her foot down off of the prop it had been elevated on. Oliver watched from across the room. Her voice got softer and gentler. "I know you care and that you're just concerned about me, but I need this. I need to be out of my apartment before I turn into some paranoid person worrying that I'm going to be killed at any minute…"

"You know we all just care about you."

Felicity reached up and touched his arm. "I know… But I'm going to turn into one of the bad guys you have to hunt down if I'm cooped up in my apartment any longer," she said all too sweetly.

Diggle shook his head. "I don't seen that happening…"

"Oh, I'm sure it's possible," Sara piped up from where she had been working opposite of Oliver. "Never underestimate any woman…especially one that's pissed off."

"See," Felicity said with a smile as she motioned towards Sara. "I mean, I'm sure Sara wasn't as kickass as she is now before she got stuck in the China Sea."

"She's right."

"You're really not help me feeling any better," Diggle said. "Either of you…but I guess at least you're not at QC…"

"Don't get her started on that," Oliver spoke up.

"QC! I told Oliver I want to go back tomorrow if I do okay here today," Felicity told Diggle. She then frowned. "But Oliver said 'no'."

Diggle smiled over towards Oliver. "So, he's not completely stupid."

"Harsh," Oliver replied.

Diggle walked towards him and left Felicity to her computer. As he approached, he told Oliver, "The truth hurts."

"You know that at least we can all watch her here," Oliver said quietly, so Felicity didn't overhear. "Plus, it's a good trial run for Queen Consolidated."

"I just… We don't know what's going to happen with your mother…"

"I know," Oliver said quietly. "And Felicity has this crazy idea that I shouldn't continue to keep her cut off from my life."

"So, what? You pretend like nothing has happened?"

"Not exactly."

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks, I'm really going to need it," Oliver told him.

. . .

"Oliver. I hadn't expected you."

"I know."

"What is it this time? I think the last few visits, you've made yourself entirely clear," Moira responded.

"Obviously not clear enough," Oliver said evenly. He was really trying to keep control. He really wanted to go off and go on about how she'd nearly killed Felicity and how that just wasn't going to happen. He wanted to go on to her about how precious Felicity was in his life and the only one she was really hurting in all of this was herself (and technically Felicity as well). But importantly, she was hurting herself.

"Oliver, what I've done, I'm not proud of," Moira told him.

"Can I speak for a moment?" he asked before she could go on. Oliver wanted to be able to get out what he needed to say before his mother started to go on.

"Go ahead."

"I know that things have been difficult between us since I've come back from the island… I probably haven't helped make anything any easier. I know I'm not my father…and I'll never be the man that he was," Oliver said. "But you and I…for the sake of Thea…and this family, you need to stop keeping these secrets from me… I can't help keep Thea safe if I don't know—"

"I'm sure that you keep secrets from me," Moira pointed out.

"You're right," Oliver replied. "I don't tell you that I've been battling with myself on my feelings for Sara…and my feelings for Felicity…"

"Oliver, you can't—"

"Right now, that isn't what we're talking about," Oliver told her before they could get sidetracked. If he was going to get through this, then he needed to stay the course. "I'm not saying you have to tell me everything, but I can help keep Thea safe if I know these kind of things…"

"So, what are you trying to say?"

Oliver paused and swallowed for a moment as he fought to assemble the words. "I'm saying that I don't want to lose my mother…but I'm also saying that secrets…and the plotting…it's destroying our family… You can't go trying to have Felicity killed just because—"

"I don't think the police have uncovered anything linking—"

"Mom, I know you did it," Oliver cut her off. "And even though I won't forget what you've done…I can forgive you…because there has to be another way… We can't be divided…"

She seemed like she was considering it. His mother was stubborn; he knew where that essence of him came from. So, it wasn't surprising to him when she didn't just open her arms to him and welcome him back into her life and the Queen family. Nothing with his mother was easy. So, they just stood there in silence for a few long minutes.

"This wasn't easy for you," Moira finally spoke up.

"No," Oliver replied honestly. "You tried to kill one of my best friends…a woman that I love…"

"Oliver, you can't be serious… She's your assistant… Sara is a much better choice…or someone else," Moira went on.

"Mom, if we're going to have a relationship anywhere near resembling the kind of one we used to have, then I'm going to need you to trust me that Felicity is a good person… I need you to stop putting hits out on her." He really couldn't believe he was having this conversation with his mother. No normal person would be begging his mother to stop putting hits out on people they cared about.

"She's your assistant."

"She hasn't always been my assistant."

"You and Walter trust her too easily."

"I trust her because I have good reason to trust her," Oliver tried to explain. "She's never not been honest with me."

"Are you sure you know who she is?"

"I do," Oliver replied without missing a beat.

"Then, I promise," Moira spoke up. "To not have any kind involvement in bringing harm of any kind to Ms. Smoak."

"Thank you."

"Though, I don't have to be thrilled with the whole situation," Moira said in another breath.

Oliver screwed his mouth shut and just sort of stared at her. Really? He had thought that maybe she'd give her a chance. He knew that Felicity had crossed his mother, but she'd done it for him. She'd done it so that she wasn't keeping secrets from him. She'd risked their friendship, their relationship…

"I can TRY to get to know her, but I'm not promising anything," she added a few moments later.

"Thank you," Oliver replied and that was really all he could ask for.

"I hope this means you might grace us with your presence at dinner soon?" Moira asked. "Thea has been noticing…a little more than I would have liked."

Oliver just nodded. "Just let me know if there's a better day."

"You're always welcome for dinner."

"It's just going to take me a little time to ease back into being here…" he admitted. It wasn't easy. It wouldn't be. In all honesty, the Queen Mansion held so many secrets and ghosts and memories that he wasn't sure he could handle.

"Your room will always be there."

"I think it might be best if I were to finally move out, Mom," Oliver said. "It's part of growing up, right?"

"I think you've done quite a lot growing up over the last year or so… You don't need to jump right into it," Moira told him. "I'm just letting you know, no matter what, your mother and your family are always here for you. No matter what is between us."

Oliver really wasn't sure how this was going to work, but at least it was a start. He knew that it wouldn't only ease Thea's worries, but he was sure his mother's, and Felicity's… She'd been so concerned about him estranging himself from his family because he was lucky to have one. He knew that he needed to slowly push her into revealing more.

"I should go," he said quietly.

"Tomorrow," she said suddenly. "Come to dinner tomorrow… I'll let Thea and Roy know."

"Okay," he responded.

"If you want, you could bring Felicity," Moira offered. "Though, that's up to you…and her. The offer's there."

"Thank you," Oliver just said. "I'll see you tomorrow." He really wasn't sure how he felt about pushing Felicity into dinner with his family, especially after everything. He knew that many people found his mother to be terrifying because of how intimidating she could be and he was sure that Felicity really wasn't going to be up to facing her immediately. Plus, he was certain that the guilt from his mother being the cause of why Felicity's leg was in the contraption it was in would loom over him for the entire dinner.

. . .

TBC…


	14. I Will Be Right Here

"I'm glad that you patched things up with your mother," Felicity told him.

She had just been handed off. Diggle had gone with her to her doctor's appointment and had stitches removed and her leg checked over. The doctor still wanted her leg protected by a brace while it continued to heal and she was to continue PT at home and at a PT center, but she was good to return to work. She'd even brought a doctor's note with her to QC.

Diggle had walked her up to Oliver's office and left because he had already arranged for himself to have the middle half of the day off between her appointment and Foundry time. He even had a replacement bodyguard in place to keep an eye on him, even though Oliver said it wasn't necessary. Felicity was fairly sure that it was mainly for looks more than anything else.

"This doesn't mean that she and I are like things were before."

"I don't expect that," Felicity told him. "There's been a lot that has gone on… She SHOT you," she reminded. She was never going to forget that and she was still trying to figure out how to get those bloodstains out of the backseat of her car. Right now her go-to cover story if anyone asked was that she'd spilled barbeque sauce all over. She had it all planned out, just in case.

She was out getting lunch for Oliver and he'd really been craving some saucy barbeque. She'd had it in the backseat and someone had cut in front of her and nearly caused an accident. When she'd slammed on her breaks, the food had slammed around as well and the cartons had ended up open and upside down on her seat.

Felicity was fairly sure that she'd never need this story, but at least she had one, just in case. It was always good to be prepared.

"If she hadn't shot me," Oliver replied all too calmly and with a small smile. "I might never have ended up in the back of your car…and maybe we wouldn't be here right now…"

She tilted her head. "You know that that means that I would be happy down in IT and not have my leg all screwed up, right?"

Oliver frowned. "It sounded better in my head."

"I'm sure it did," she replied with amusement.

"But what I'm trying to say…" he told her as he grabbed the underneath of her chair and pulled it towards him. He'd insisted that she sit with him behind his desk. They'd just been hanging out, so it hadn't been such a big deal plus the fact that it was quiet on that floor. Oliver had told her when she'd arrived that Isabel wasn't anywhere in sight.

Felicity squeaked as her chair moved towards him. "I know what you're trying to say," she finished and let out a laugh. She didn't know what had gotten into her, but she reached out and touched his face. After a moment, she pulled it away and looked around. Felicity didn't know what had gotten into her, but thankfully no one saw.

Oliver took her hand and held it in his. "It's okay."

"I hadn't meant—"

"I would ask you to come to dinner with me," Oliver told her. "But I have a family dinner to attend…and…though you are technically invited…"

Felicity just stared at him. "I'm invited?"

"I'm not going to subject you to that, though."

"What if I want to go?"

Oliver stared at her now. "What?" He paused. "Do you?"

"No."

"Then why…"

"I was just making sure that you didn't want me there."

"It's not that," Oliver went back with her. "It's just that…" He sighed and stared at her. "Felicity, I don't want you to have to deal with her… Not now…"

"She doesn't like me…"

"She's…she doesn't like the fact that you tell me the truth," Oliver answered. "But you know how much I value the truth."

She and Oliver, they were always truthful. Well, ever since she'd really joined up with Team Arrow… Before that, it was really fail lies that she had never believed. Him showing up shot in the back of her car and revealing himself, that had been their first honest moment and had brought all of the puzzle pieces together for her.

"You know I won't lie to you," Felicity told him.

Felicity knew that he knew that, but she'd felt like she needed to throw that out there, just in case there were any questions. There was so much between them and sometimes Felicity felt like things just needed to be said even though speaking wasn't always necessary between her and Oliver. They had this connection…she didn't know how to describe it. It was just there…and it was theirs.

"And I won't lie to you," he echoed.

"So, what does all of this truthfulness between us leave us?" Felicity asked as she leaned forward in her chair.

"It makes us the best partners…and so much more," Oliver told her as he leaned forward as well.

. . .

Walking normally was something that she'd never take for granted again. It was up there with being able to going to the bathroom by herself. She was just thankful that she was healed up. On one hand, she appreciated everyone helping her…and she even missed them…but she really, really, really liked being independent even if it was in small ways.

The doorbell rang and she was practically bouncing. Felicity had changed into something different, it was still a dress…but it was different. She looked down at her attire and was suddenly rethinking it. Was it good enough? The knock on the door told her that she didn't have time to really think about that now. She was wearing a navy blue polka dot dress and her hair was down. It wasn't tight like the one she'd been wearing it earlier; instead the skirt was flowy and definitely different. Another knock and she groaned.

She looked horrible…

This wasn't going to work…

Felicity needed to change…

She opened the door and pretended to be fine. She smiled and motioned for him to come in. "I hadn't thought that you'd be here…so…on time," Felicity said awkwardly as he entered.

Oliver leaned in and kissed her cheek. "You look beautiful," he told her and carried the bag of food to the kitchen.

Felicity closed the front door and turned towards him. She looked beautiful. Felicity beamed. "What did you bring?" she asked as she finally turned and watched him walk to the kitchen. Oliver had become more and more comfortable in her apartment. She honestly didn't know when that had started to happen.

"Thai."

"Thai," Felicity grinned and followed him. "So, are our dinners going to continue?" she asked curiously. "Not that I mind… I mean, I like them… They're quite—"

Oliver turned to her as she caught up with him. He was smiling at her. He reached out and ran his hands up and down her arms.

"They're quite…nice…" she finally blurted out.

"I wouldn't mind doing these…more often," Oliver admitted.

Felicity just stared at him. "I figured that you'd be sick of me… Between me being back at QC and the Foundry…"

He laughed and looked down at her. "Felicity, I am never going to get sick of you…" His voice got incredibly quiet. "When you're not around, I wish you were… I miss you… At those family dinners, I wish you were sitting right there next to me," Oliver admitted.

"I'm always here, Oliver…"

Oliver leaned in finally and kissed her. Felicity returned the kiss until they were breathless. "And I…will always be right here…next to you, if you let me."

Felicity just stared at him. Had she just imagined all of this? She'd felt blessed enough with Oliver showing up at least once a week for their own special dinner, but this? What did it mean? What did it mean for them? Was she reading into it too much? Was she making up what he was meaning? And then she realized…she didn't care.

"Oh," she barely whispered. "I'll let you…"

. . .

The End.


End file.
